Lyneham estate has a long history
in the agriculture system. At the time of the Domesday Survey
the demesne lands were worked by the serfs in payment of the
feudal debt. The Lyneham estate contained enough land for
10 ploughs and 71 hides. As the serfs' labour service came
to be commuted to money payments, the demesne lands were often
cultivated by paid labourers.
Eventually many of the demesne lands were leased out either
on a perpetual, and therefore hereditary, or a temporary,
and therefore renewable, basis so that many peasants functioned
virtually as free proprietors after having paid their fixed
rents.
In England the term ancient demesne, referred to those lands
that were held by the crown at the time (1066) of William
the Conqueror and were recorded in the Domesday Book. The
term demesne also referred to the demesne of the crown, or
royal demesne, which consisted of those lands reserved for
the crown at the time of the original distribution of landed
property. The royal demesne could be increased, for example,
as a result of forfeiture. There were 4 ploughs and 2 serfs
on the demesne hides.
Elsewhere on the estate there were 16 bordars, 16 cottars,
and 8 villeins with 6 ploughs. At this date there were four
acres of meadow and 12 acres of pasture, while the woodland
was estimated to be one league long and three furlongs broad.
The value of the estate had risen to £10 in 1086. There
was an additional half-hide holding in 'Stoche' in 1086, which
contained land for half a plough and was worth 10s
In the later 16th century Preston Leynes, a pasture ground,
was leased to the tenants of Lyneham manor at Littlecott.
Traces of this common pasture survived in 1968 as an extremely
wide verge on either side of the road at Preston, just west
of Thickthorn Farm.
Nothing is known of any open fields within the manor and
it is likely that most of the estate was farmed in consolidated
holdings from an early date. In a survey of the manor of Lyneham
dating from the earlier 18th century there were 10 copyhold
tenures within the manor and 53 leasehold tenures.
In 1793 the manor of Lyneham included 9 farms, namely,
Thickthorn (163 acres), Preston East and West Farms (134
acres and 127
acres) Lyneham Church Farm (107 acres), Lyneham Pound Farm
(108 acres), Lyneham. Green Farm (116 acres), Barrow End
Farm
(151 acres), Mansion House Farm (151 acres), and Middle Hill
Farm (162 acres). All these farms consisted of practically
equal amounts of arable, pasture and meadow. In 1896 all
these farms remained within the Walker-Heneage estate at
Lyneham.
For more information on the Lyneham Estate valuations of
the past click
here
Eleven farms have utilised the agricultural land within
the local community, namely: Lyneham Court Farm, Cranley
Farm,
Barrow End Farm, Pound Farm, Green Farm, Greenlands Farm,
Church Farm, Freegrove Farm, Preston End Farm, East Farm
and
West Farm. Also within the community, until the late 1970's
there was Meadow Court Farm, Middle Hill Farm and Mansion
House Farm
Tockenham. Alteration of the Parish boundary, has meant the
farms have been moved to the Tockenham Parish.
Each farm had it's own pond or ponds, as there was no mains
water supplies until well after World War II. If you would
like to know more about the farms of Lyneham click
here. |
