Open field system

The open field system was the prevalent agricultural system in Europe from the Dark Ages to as recently as the 20th century in places. From the 12th century onwards it was gradually replaced by Inclosure.

Related Topics:
Europe - Dark Ages - 20th century - 12th century - Inclosure

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Open fields appeared to have developed in the medieval period, and were particularly well suited to the very heavy ploughs that were used to cut through the heavy clay soil in North West Europe. Because the ploughs were so heavy, it made more sense to have as long a way as possible to pull them before trying to turn them around. The ox teams which pulled the ploughs were also very expensive, and thus tended to be shared among the families of a village.

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Each village would be surrounded by several large open fields, usually not physically divided from each other, with each field containing a different crop as part of a three field crop rotation. The fields would be split into a number of furlongs (~200 m), each of which would be subdivided into strips covering an area of half an acre (2,000 m²) or less. Each villager was allocated a set number of strips in each field (traditionally about thirty) which they would subsistence farm. The strips were generally allocated in a public meeting at the start of the year. The individual holdings were widely scattered, so that no single farmer would end up with all the good or bad land. Ploughing techniques used one or other form of ridge and furrow cultivation to prepare the land for drainage and planting.

Related Topics:
Crop rotation - Furlong - Acre - Subsistence - Ridge and furrow

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In addition to the three fields, there would be common land where the villagers would graze their livestock, woodland for the pigs, and a communal village green for social events. The ploughed fields could also be used for grazing outside the growing season.

Related Topics:
Common - Livestock - Woodland - Pig - Village green

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As populations increased, the available land diminished as more strips were required. From the late Middle Ages onwards, a gradual movement towards consolidation took place as small plots were amalgamated into fewer but larger holdings, with a corresponding increase in the power of the landowners.

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