Open Field System (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The open field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to as recently as the 20th century in some places. Under this system, each manor or village had several very large fields, farmed in strips by individual families. From the 12th century onwards open fields were gradually replaced by private fields through various reforms in agricultural technology and local government. Open fields appear 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 soils common in north-western Europe. The ox teams which pulled the ploughs were very expensive, and thus tended to be shared among the families of a village. This form of settlement is sometimes referred to as champion land.