As a research tool, the study of field names can be used to provide numerous facets of information that can prove very useful in the study of local history. Information on past agricultural usage, descriptions of the underlying geology, geographical features as well as the quality of the land can readily be found in their descriptive names. Past ownership is sometimes indicated by the use of personal names and ecclesiastical associations are indicated by names with a ‘religious’ feel. To try to illustrate this I will use the field names found on the northern outskirts of Eccleston.
The present St Marys church has been on this site since the 14th century, but it may be on the site of a much older building. It is therefore possible that the fields shown on the Eccleston Glebe Lands Survey may have been in the ownership of the church for hundreds of years.
These fields are still Glebe Lands belonging to Blackburn Diocese and many have ecclesiastical associations in their names. These include Higher and Lower Chapel Bank, Higher and Lower Church Pasture, Church Field, Church Field Wood and Church Yard. Other fields in this area include Marled Earth, Barn Field, Hard Field, Mere Fold and Green Field which describe the usage and physical features of the land. The piece of land lying between the millrace that fed Eccleston’s old corn mill and the river Yarrow was known as Holme and may come from the old Norse term ‘holmr’ describing a piece of riverside land or water meadow.
Evidence from ‘Survey of Eccleston Glebe Lands and Langton's Tenement’, shows how the fields around St. Mary’s Church looked in 1776 and the ‘Eccleston Tithe Map and Survey of 1841’ shows the field structures over the entire parish. Two hundred years later, the present day O.S. map also shows that little has changed and that most of these field boundaries are still maintained.
The present St Marys church has been on this site since the 14th century, but it may be on the site of a much older building. It is therefore possible that the fields shown on the Eccleston Glebe Lands Survey may have been in the ownership of the church for hundreds of years.
These fields are still Glebe Lands belonging to Blackburn Diocese and many have ecclesiastical associations in their names. These include Higher and Lower Chapel Bank, Higher and Lower Church Pasture, Church Field, Church Field Wood and Church Yard. Other fields in this area include Marled Earth, Barn Field, Hard Field, Mere Fold and Green Field which describe the usage and physical features of the land. The piece of land lying between the millrace that fed Eccleston’s old corn mill and the river Yarrow was known as Holme and may come from the old Norse term ‘holmr’ describing a piece of riverside land or water meadow.
Of the 7 fields belonging to the Langton's holdings, only 2 are of note, Hilow meadow and Laughing Meadow. Hilow meadow may possibly be a personal name, whilst Laughing Meadow may be an ancient complimentary name for productive land, a joke for a poor area of land or it may be a corruption of Laugher (Lower).
The Eccleston Parish Tithe map of 1841 provides a numbered list of all the fields, their usage and field names if known. Most of these fields are to be found lying between the townships of Eccleston and Croston (see the insert map for details). Heading west from St. Mary’s church toward Croston lies a larger tract of interesting land, straddling both sides of the river Yarrow. North of the Yarrow the first field is the aptly named Wet Reins (Old Norse reinn defining land found on a boundary) this poorly-drained land is a sponge of a field and separates the fields of Eccleston from the lands belonging to the ancient moated site of Ingrave or Tingrave (The Ingrave). Passing through the Meadow which was once a larger field but shown as being split into two parts on the Tithe map, the next fields are Yarrow Hey and Long Hey. The term Heys comes from the Old English (ge)hæg describing a fenced in piece of land or a forest enclosed for preserving game, Yarrow Hey contains an abandoned collection of crack willows on the edge of the river, whilst Long Hey is a long narrow piece of land. The next field has the name of Cow Ridding and the Tithe maps states that this was an arable field. The term Ridding comes from the Old English Ryding a clearing in a woodland or waste land taken into cultivation. It may be possible that Cow Ridding is similar to Bull Copy i.e. a coppice woodland in which the town bull was kept.
The present St Marys church has been on this site since the 14th century, but it may be on the site of a much older building. It is therefore possible that the fields shown on the Eccleston Glebe Lands Survey may have been in the ownership of the church for hundreds of years.
These fields are still Glebe Lands belonging to Blackburn Diocese and many have ecclesiastical associations in their names. These include Higher and Lower Chapel Bank, Higher and Lower Church Pasture, Church Field, Church Field Wood and Church Yard. Other fields in this area include Marled Earth, Barn Field, Hard Field, Mere Fold and Green Field which describe the usage and physical features of the land. The piece of land lying between the millrace that fed Eccleston’s old corn mill and the river Yarrow was known as Holme and may come from the old Norse term ‘holmr’ describing a piece of riverside land or water meadow.
Evidence from ‘Survey of Eccleston Glebe Lands and Langton's Tenement’, shows how the fields around St. Mary’s Church looked in 1776 and the ‘Eccleston Tithe Map and Survey of 1841’ shows the field structures over the entire parish. Two hundred years later, the present day O.S. map also shows that little has changed and that most of these field boundaries are still maintained.
The present St Marys church has been on this site since the 14th century, but it may be on the site of a much older building. It is therefore possible that the fields shown on the Eccleston Glebe Lands Survey may have been in the ownership of the church for hundreds of years.
These fields are still Glebe Lands belonging to Blackburn Diocese and many have ecclesiastical associations in their names. These include Higher and Lower Chapel Bank, Higher and Lower Church Pasture, Church Field, Church Field Wood and Church Yard. Other fields in this area include Marled Earth, Barn Field, Hard Field, Mere Fold and Green Field which describe the usage and physical features of the land. The piece of land lying between the millrace that fed Eccleston’s old corn mill and the river Yarrow was known as Holme and may come from the old Norse term ‘holmr’ describing a piece of riverside land or water meadow.
Of the 7 fields belonging to the Langton's holdings, only 2 are of note, Hilow meadow and Laughing Meadow. Hilow meadow may possibly be a personal name, whilst Laughing Meadow may be an ancient complimentary name for productive land, a joke for a poor area of land or it may be a corruption of Laugher (Lower).
The Eccleston Parish Tithe map of 1841 provides a numbered list of all the fields, their usage and field names if known. Most of these fields are to be found lying between the townships of Eccleston and Croston (see the insert map for details). Heading west from St. Mary’s church toward Croston lies a larger tract of interesting land, straddling both sides of the river Yarrow. North of the Yarrow the first field is the aptly named Wet Reins (Old Norse reinn defining land found on a boundary) this poorly-drained land is a sponge of a field and separates the fields of Eccleston from the lands belonging to the ancient moated site of Ingrave or Tingrave (The Ingrave). Passing through the Meadow which was once a larger field but shown as being split into two parts on the Tithe map, the next fields are Yarrow Hey and Long Hey. The term Heys comes from the Old English (ge)hæg describing a fenced in piece of land or a forest enclosed for preserving game, Yarrow Hey contains an abandoned collection of crack willows on the edge of the river, whilst Long Hey is a long narrow piece of land. The next field has the name of Cow Ridding and the Tithe maps states that this was an arable field. The term Ridding comes from the Old English Ryding a clearing in a woodland or waste land taken into cultivation. It may be possible that Cow Ridding is similar to Bull Copy i.e. a coppice woodland in which the town bull was kept.
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