Only village in England not to be privatised (enclosed)
Tony Gosling
tony at cultureshop.org.uk
Fri Oct 14 01:27:57 BST 2011
Loads of stuff on these two great Laxton sites
http://www.laxtonhistorygroup.org.uk/
better still pay Laxton a visit!
The members of Laxton History Group are villagers
past and present and people with an interest in
Laxton and its history. We enjoy monthly meetings
with speakers on topics chosen by members. Recent
meetings have looked at Crosshill Farm, Laxton
church and its history, WWI food, Creswell Crags,
agriculture in the East Midlands in medieval
times and 'Rural Nostalgia' - an evening of old films on agricultural topics.
http://www.laxtonnotts.org.uk/open_fields.htm
Laxton is probably best known for its three field
farming system which survived the Enclosures Act
of 1845 and can still be seen today, although on
a smaller scale than at its height.
The Laxton Estate is owned by the Crown Estate
and the agricultural land and associated farm
houses are leased to 14 tenant farmers. There are
also 4 smallholdings in the village with strips associated.
The boundaries of the strips and roadways and the
common land in the fields is maintained through
the ancient manorial court, known as the Court Leet.
Laxton is situated in the north of
Nottinghamshire, close to the A1, but its
agricultural system functions according to the
rules of the system established in mediaeval times.
http://www.laxtonnotts.org.uk/about_laxton.htm
The three Open Fields contain strips worked by
the farmers of the village, tenants of the Crown
Estate, under the jurisdiction of the Court Leet
and Jury. This legally constituted manorial court
ensures that the three year crop rotation
continues and that the farmers maintain the
boundaries of their strips as they always have.
There are approximately 100 dwellings in the
village, which has a church, a popular pub, The
Dovecote Inn, and a traditional village shop. The
Laxton Visitor Centre stands in the grounds of The Dovecote.
The church of St Michael the Archangel is a
historic building in its own right and has a host
of historic features of interest to visitors and scholars alike.
Laxton Church, The Dovecote Inn and Laxton Visitor Centre
Jury Day
Jury Day in Laxton takes place on the last
Thursday in November. The Bailiff - a position
currently held by Robert Haigh - selects the Jury
of twelve from the Laxton tenants. A foreman,
chosen by the the Court and automatically a
member of the Jury, holds office for each field.
The foreman of the wheat field leads the
inspection of the strip boundaries, the dykes
(ditches) and roadways of that field.
The Jury walks the field, discussing any
instances of ploughing over boundaries or failing
to plough right up to them. Stakes are carried
into the field and knocked in at the junction of
each strip to denote the correct position. Any
contraventions are noted and these are recorded
by the Bailiff on a 'Presentment Paper' during a
discussion after lunch. The Presentment Paper is
put before the Steward of the Court Leet the
following week when fines are decided. The
farmers are invited to appeal and the fine is
applied if they are found to be guilty.
The Court Leet
The Court Leet is the legally constituted ancient
manorial court of Laxton. The Court is held a
week after Jury Day, on the first Thursday in
December. The Court hearing is called by the
Bailiff. The Court convenes at The Dovecote Inn
and all names on the Manor Suite Roll must
attend. The penalty for non-attendance is 2p, and is collected by the Bailiff.
The Court is presided over and advised by the
Steward of the Manor, a Newark solicitor,
appointed by the Crown Estate. He hears appeals
to the fines and swears in members of the Jury
for the coming year in the traditional manner.
Laxton Grass Sales
The three Open Fields each contain areas which
are too wet or too steep to be cultivated. These
areas, which are not part of any tenancy,
provided the farmers of old with somewhere to
turn their horses when they ploughed and most
incorporate a cart road or drainage ditch. These
areas, known as sykes (pronounced six), are
designated unimproved meadowland and have never
been treated with fertilisers or chemicals. Some
are also designated SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest).
The grass and wild flowers which grow on the
sykes make wonderful hay. The right to make this
hay is sold by an independent auctioneer at the
annual Grass Sales to anyone who puts smoke up a
chimney in Laxton i.e. tenants of the Laxton
Crown Estate. The grass may not be cut before
July 15th under the current Countryside
Stewardship scheme, so in recent times the sale
has been in early July. In the past the sale
often took place on the longest day with the
payment falling due on the shortest day -
allegedly to give the buyer the minimum time to
worry about it on the day! The proceeds of the
sale go into the Laxton Gaits and Commons account
and help towards the upkeep of the roads of the
Open Fields. The sale of each of the 26 parcels
of land is also subject to a £2 levy to pay for
refreshments in The Dovecote afterwards.
The photos opposite show the processes of cutting
the hay, turning it by hand and mechanically and
baling into small bales, suitable for individual horse owners' use.
http://www.laxtonnotts.org.uk/Laxton%20manorial_system.htm
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