Ordnance Survey maps have never shown field-names except in rare special cases (although they do show the names of moors and commons, some of which are so small that they are effectively fields). By contrast, one of the unique features of the Devon in 1840 series of maps is that they show a large number of field-names. Almost all of these names have been obtained from tithe apportionment documents which date from around 1840. By no means all of the field-names that occur in the apportionments are shown on the maps, but an attempt has been made to include the more distinctive and significant field-names, as far as space on the map allows. The guidelines that have been followed for selecting which names to show are explained below. Inevitably, some interesting field-names have had to be omitted because the field is too small (or that part of the map is too crowded) for the name to be shown clearly. The large-scale maps of towns and villages are able to show field-names much more completely than the 1:16000 scale maps.
Field sizes in Devon in the 1840s were small compared with today, between two and five acres (about one or two hectares) being typical, and fitting their names into constricted spaces on the map requires heavy use of abbreviations. For example, Great Moor Close is shown on the map as ‘Gt Moor C’ and Higher Rushy Meadow as ‘Hr Rushy Mdw’. This does not cause any difficulty because a small number of words occur over and over again in field-names, and it is only those most frequent words that need to be shortened. A list of the abbreviations used is given in the map’s legend, and they are also explained in the text below.
How old were Devon’s field-names when they were recorded around 1840? In the great majority of cases it is impossible to say, because that was the first time they had been written down. Occasionally, it is possible to compare them with field-names in much older documents, such as manorial surveys, glebe terriers and early estate maps. It is not unusual to find that some proportion of the names had remained the same (or mutated from a similar name) over periods of one or two centuries, while others had been replaced by different names in that time.
It might be thought that field-names could not be very long-lasting because they were known only to the farmer and his household, and if the farm changed hands then there would be a complete change of nomenclature. However, there are reasons why some field-names could survive for a long period. A son taking over a farm from his father would naturally use the field-names he had grown up with. A new tenant moving into a farm might hire the same workers as the previous occupant, and so might adopt the field-names with which they were already familiar. If the farm was part of an estate then the estate steward might have used the field-names in his records and would have been inclined to impose them on a new tenant.
The Form of Field-Names
Even a brief study of the field-names shown on the Devon in 1840 maps will make it clear that names consisting of two or three words predominate. Single-word field-names also occur quite often, but field-names with four or more words are rare. The last word in a field-name is sometimes Field (abbreviated ‘Fd’ on the maps), but is much more likely to be either Close or Park (abbreviated ‘C’ or ‘Pk’). Both of these mean ‘enclosure’ and are equivalent to ‘field’ in the modern sense of the word. It is not clear if there is a subtle difference in meaning between a ‘close’ and a ‘park’. Less common words for field include Ground, Land, Piece, and Plot, the last of these usually indicating a very small field.
The first word in a field-name is often an adjective, distinguishing a field from its neighbours by its compass direction (North or South, East or West, Easter or Wester), its size (Great or Little), its height (Higher or Lower), or its location relative to the farmstead (Home, Homer, Inner, and Hither all mean ‘near’ while Over, Outer, and Yonder mean ‘far’). Hence, there are pairs of fields that have the same basic name such as Western Barn Park and Eastern Barn Park, Higher Broom Close and Lower Broom Close, Great Down and Little Down, Home Four Acres and Outer Four Acres. Sometimes, in between such a pair of fields, there is a third one whose name begins with the word Middle. Very few field-names use the adjectives Big or Small; they are vastly outnumbered by names that begin with Great or Little. Occasionally, several fields in a group are numbered in the style First Moor, Second Moor, Third Moor, etc. On the maps, the abbreviations ‘Gt’, ‘Hr’ and ‘Lwr’ are used for Great, Higher and Lower.
Usually, where two or more fields in a group have the same basic name, the 1:16000 scale map only shows the name of the largest field in the group. For example, if Higher Furze Close is labelled (as ‘Hr Furze C’) then its neighbour Lower Furze Close is not. One consequence of this guideline is that field-names beginning with Great are somewhat over-represented, whereas names beginning with Little are almost absent from the maps despite being almost as common in the source documents. Field-names that consist of just an adjective and a generic word like Field, Close or Meadow are not usually shown at all on the 1:16000 scale maps. For example, Great Meadow, Home Park, Middle Close and North Field would normally be omitted.
Devon Field-Names that Occur Often
If we leave the common adjectives to one side, and treat the various different words for ‘field’ as equivalent, then the maps reveal some field-names that occur repeatedly across Devon, and in some cases several times in the same parish. Many such field-names are mentioned below. On the other hand, the maps also show a very large number of field-names that are each unique to one particular field. I will not discuss any such names here, except to say that I have tried to include as many of them on the maps as space allows.
Many field-names describe the cultivation of the field, although often the name does not match the way the field was cultivated in 1840 but must relate to an earlier period. A very common name for an arable field is Gratton (or Graddon), a dialect word that refers to the stubble left behind after corn is harvested. The word Arrish has a similar meaning and also occurs in field-names, particularly in the name Rye Arrish. Other names referring to crops are Oat Park, Peas Close, Potatoe Field (sic), Turnip Close, and Wheat Park. Barley is conspicuously rare in field-names, despite being an important crop in the nineteenth century. Lammas Close alludes to Lammas Day (1st August), traditionally the end of haymaking and the start of the corn harvest. Beatland refers to the laborious practice of preparing rough grassland for ploughing by paring and burning the soil, and Bakes Close perhaps has a similar meaning. Lime Close probably refers not to a lime tree but to the application of lime to the soil to reduce its acidity, which increases corn yield. Sand Park perhaps indicates a sandy soil quality, but may instead refer to the use of sea sand for the same purpose as lime.
Names associated with grassland are Best Grass, Clover Close, Daisy Close, Eaver Close (from a local word for ryegrass), Grass Park, Green Park, and Leaze (from an Old English word for grassland). Ley refers to the practice of ploughing up land for crops for a few years and then leaving it as grass for several years. The word Meadow is very common of course, meaning grassland mown for hay; it is often abbreviated ‘Mdw’ on the maps. The more poetic word Mead is much less common. Float Meadow indicates an irrigated meadow and may be contrasted with Dry Meadow.
Livestock must once have been kept in Calves Close, Colts Close, Cow Close, Horse Field, and Oxen Park. Some Devon farmers still used oxen to pull the plough in 1840, but horses were more usual. Oddly, sheep are not often mentioned in field-names, except for Lamb Close. By far the most common field-name referring to wildlife is Coney Close, coney being the normal word at the time for an adult rabbit. Of the wild mammals, rabbits were probably seen far more often in the nineteenth-century countryside than badgers, foxes or deer, which appear in field-names only occasionally, or hares, otters or smaller mammals, which hardly ever appear in field-names. The name Cannapark is difficult to explain but might be a variant of Coney Park.
Names suggesting rough land are Brake (which seems to mean thicket), Brim Close (brambles), Broom Park, Coarse Ground, Common, Dashel Park (from a dialect word for thistle), Down, Marsh, and Rushy Meadow. The name Furze Close (referring to gorse) is very common, and there are any number of field-names containing the word Moor. Quite often, fields with names like these were classified as arable land in 1840, so by then they were considered fit for growing crops. Black Land, Clay Park and Stone Park probably describe the nature of the soil. Poor Close might be associated with a charitable endowment, but more probably the name was just a comment on the field’s quality. The name New Park (or Newer Park) is common, but it is usually impossible to know in what sense the field was new in 1840 – whether newly enclosed, newly purchased or newly cultivated – or how long ago the name had been bestowed.
Many fields are named from their size or shape. Plot and Splatt are names for very small fields (usually too small to include the name on the map at 1:16000 scale). Alas, Pixey Meadow may just be a whimsical name for a small meadow (small like a pixie) rather than having any connection with the supernatural. A field named Quillett is both small and narrow; the origin of the word is obscure. Broad Close (or Broadapark) is a common name for a field larger than others in the vicinity. Names of the kind Two Acres, Three Acres, Four Acres, and so on are very common (and are often omitted from the map). Forty Acres and Hundred Acres are jocular names for fields less than an acre in size. The name Long Field refers to the field’s shape, not to its length as such; it means the field is long in comparison with its width. A very narrow field may be called Strap, and other names based on shape are Crooked Close (irregular in shape), Hatchet Close (axe-shaped), Round Close (rounded in shape, but not necessarily circular), Square Close (rectangular), Three Cornered Field or Three Corners (triangular), and Tongue (tapering towards one end). The name Brandice (or Brandis) refers to a field roughly triangular in shape, and is from a dialect word for a three-legged iron stand for supporting a pan over a fire.
Fields may be named from their terrain. Hill is self-explanatory, Ball is on a rounded hill, Knap is on a small hill, and Bottom Close is at the bottom of a hill. Cleave is a common name for a field on a steep hillside; the word has the same origin in Old English as ‘cliff’. Plain Close is on comparatively level ground. Coombe Park refers to a narrow valley, and Slade is at the bottom of a valley particularly if there is marshy ground. The name Ham is usually given to a field on the flat ground beside a river or large stream. Slade and Ham both derive from Old English words not used today except in place-names.
Another way of naming a field from its location is by its relation to the farmstead. The adjectives Home and Homer were mentioned above. Fore Meadow is in front of the farmstead, Backside is behind it, Above Town (or Bove Town) is uphill from it, and Croft is usually a small field near it. A very frequent name for a field adjoining the farmstead is Barn Close or Barn Park. A field called Church Close is not necessarily near a church, but is in the direction of the church from the farmstead – perhaps the field beyond which the church tower can be seen. Occasionally, a small wood near a house or farmstead is called Rookery, where rooks nest.
A variety of field-names derive from distinctive features in or near the field. This is the origin of Bridge Close, Copse Close, Garden Park, Kiln Close (referring to a limekiln), Linhay Field (a linhay is an animal shed open on one side with a loft above for storing hay), Mill Close, Orchard Close, Path Field, Pool Park, Rail Park (referring to a fence), Shippen Close (a shippen is a cattle shed), Stile Park, Water Close and Wood Close. Very common names of this type are Pond Close, Quarry Close and Well Close, where ‘well’ can mean any source of water. Shute Meadow perhaps refers to a fast-flowing or ‘shooting’ stream. Fields next to roads may be named Lane End, Road Close or Way Park, and Corner Close may refer to a corner in a road. Cross Park is a common name for a field next to a road junction; the word cross normally refers to the junction, not to a stone cross. Tree Field clearly indicates a conspicuous tree, as probably do Ash Park, Beech Close, Oak Park and Thorn Park. Such field-names are unlikely to refer to hedges because those species are ubiquitous in Devon hedges and would not distinguish a particular field. Aller Park and Withy Close may refer to a clump of alders or willows rather than a specific tree. Mazzard Close indicates a cherry tree or a cherry orchard.
Some field-names have a historical or archaeological significance beyond that of farming. Berry Close, Burrow Park, and especially Castle Field suggest the presence of some kind of ancient earthwork, although not usually those of an actual castle. The earthwork may have been ploughed out of existence long before, leaving the field-name as the only clue to its former presence. A ruined building may have generated the name Old Walls or Ruins. The name Chapel Close is ambiguous; it might be no more significant than Church Close (see above), but in some cases it indicates a chapel nearby. Culver Close is derived from an Old English word for dove and the name may refer to pigeons that were kept for meat in the past. Warren similarly records the keeping of rabbits for meat and fur. Criminals may have been hanged at a place named Forches which means gallows. A hilltop field named Beacon or Fire Beacon might be the site of one of a network of beacons set up to alert the country of foreign invasion until the eighteenth century. Rack Park is a field near a fulling-mill, where cloth was hung out to dry, a cottage industry that had disappeared from Devon by 1840. Butts Close, which will almost certainly be near a church, is a field in which archery was practised on Sundays in the sixteenth century, when skill with the longbow was required by law. Field-names like Parsonage Moor and Sanctuary (sometimes corrupted to Century) are characteristic of glebe land, fields owned by the church. The word Landscore (or Landscove) appears to relate to strips of land in open-field arable, and is a relic of a time before the fields were enclosed with hedges. It occurs in parts of eastern and southern Devon but is almost unknown in the north and west.
Further Reading
John Field, 1989, English Field-Names: A Dictionary. (Weak on Devon field-names, unfortunately.)
J. E. B. Gover, A. Mawer and F. M. Stenton, 1931, The Place-Names of Devon, 2 vols. (This standard but very dated reference book deals with field-names in just three pages, 689-691.)
Hermon French, 1963, ‘Field names in Widecombe-in-the-Moor’, Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association, vol. 95, 156-167. (A study of a single parish but of wider interest.)
A. H. Shorter, 1949, ‘Landscore, Stitch and Quillett fields in Devon’, Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries, vol. 23, 372-380. (In fact this is almost entirely about the name Landscore.)
A. G. Collings, 2017, ‘Devon’s Parks and Closes: a problematical relationship’, Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries, vol. 42, 7-11.