Herefordshire Field Names Database |
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Where do the field and landowner names come from?
Most of the field names in the database come from the tithe maps dated to about 1840. They were collected by The Herefordshire Field-Name Survey, organised by members of the Archaeological Research Section of the Woolhope Naturalists Field Club (general editor Ruth E. Richardson), between 1987 and 1993 from the original maps and surveys held in Herefordshire Record Office. We are very grateful to the Research Group for allowing us to use their work. They were then typed up over two years by SMR volunteers working from home. The people responsible for carrying out this very useful work are listed in the Parishes Table along with basic information about each map. The landowner names were collected by Geoff Gwatkin from the original apportionments (surveys) and given to the SMR. Geoff has now produced a series of 19th century parish maps with the field names and list of landowners and these are available for a small fee directly from Geoff Gwatkin (e-mail: geoffgwatkin@supanet.com). The database was put on line for the SMR by Alan Vince (data cleaning) and Paul Tyers (graphical interface).
The maps are far more informative than a mere list of names. Looking at them you can see the medieval village, i.e. where the common fields, woods, tracks, meadows, village centre, outlying farms and quarries lay. Nevertheless seeing the field names altogether in the database can tell us much. It is possible to search for curiosities (were there any gibbets, saffron fields, tobacco plants, lime kilns), to compare the amount of meadow or pasture between parishes and to look for industrial sites (e.g. glassworks), crops (e.g. flax, hemp) or particular plants (e.g. juniper, lime). The landowner names as well are useful in a list. In this form it is possible to quickly search for a person and to get some idea of who owned what where.
How to locate the field
There is no grid reference with the field name; you will need the map number and the hard copy map to find this. Fields were grouped by landowner, so consecutive numbers are often scattered about the parish. The maps are held at Hereford Record Office (Tel 260750) or in Hereford Library or can be bought directly from Geoff Gwatkin (01989 565852).
How to find a person
Type part or the entire name in the appropriate box. Remember that many people had the same name, and often the same person had their name spelt slightly differently in different parishes. Remember, this is a list of landowners, not of tenants. Most of the fields had tenants as well as landlords, sometimes they were the same person, but usually not. The only way to find the tenant is to go to the original document.