Bound up with the history of a neighbourhood and intimately connected with the past are the names of the fields. Those who are not countryfolk do not always realise that every field, like every village, has a name, or has had one at some time. These names are to be found in old tithe maps, and they are often of the greatest interest.

In many villages in the south of England you can find a field called Townfield. This name preserves the memory of an old feudal custom. The Townfield, a name which occurs in at least one document five centuries old, to be found in the British Museum, was the name given to the field of the village community. It belonged to a definite owner, who granted the field to certain of his tenants in return for specified services. The Townfield has no hedge, for reasons that will presently appear.

It was ploughed in acre or half-acre strips, by a team of oxen provided by the tenants, who all clubbed together for it.

These strips were each a furrow in length—i.e., 220 yards—and 22 yards wide, just as much as a team of oxen could comfortably plough in one day. The furrow represented, the length the team could go conveniently without turning, and a rod (5 yards) was the room occupied by a yoke of oxen, four abreast. Our awkward ‘long measure’ thus originated in the harness and capacity of a yoke of oxen.