The Ancient Origins of Medieval Fields: A Reassessment

Abstract

This article questions the suggestions that have been made by a number of archaeologists and landscape historians concerning the Roman and prehistoric origins of large tracts of the medieval rural landscape in lowland England. It suggests that arguments for large-scale continuity of field systems, mainly based on the evidence of excavations and topographic analysis, are flawed because they fail to take fully into account the topographic contexts, and the practical functions, of field boundaries. When these matters are given due weight, much of the evidence cited in support of ‘continuity’ instead appears to suggest a significant degree of discontinuity, at least in terms of systems of land division, between Roman Britain and medieval England.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Adrienne Compton, Sarah Harrison and Rob Liddiard for advice, ideas and suggestions; the staff of the Essex Record Office, Chelmsford for assistance with maps and archives; and the referees who provided important and useful comments on the initial version of this article.