| Great Horwood History |
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Landscape: Farms, Gardens & Allotments
Monica Jones
Map showing Great Horwood & Singleborough in 1813
Enclosure - Changing the Landscape
The landscape we see today round Great Horwood is not as old as the village itself. John Harris, writing in 1907, remarked that formerly ‘... the landscape was very different to the present day, the fields were bare of hedgerows and comparatively wild from Winslow to Nash. The old yellow-flowered furze covered the Common and Whaddon Chase was in all its primeval beauty.’
The open fields of Great Horwood were conspicuous on contemporary maps but by the beginning of the 19th century pressure was building in Great Horwood to apply for an Act of Parliament to allow for enclosure of its common land and open fields. It had become easier for parishes to adopt these measures and the landlords in the neighbouring communities of Singleborough and Little Horwood had taken advantage of such schemes.
By 1841 Great Horwood was the only parish in north Buckinghamshire to retain the ancient open field system. Quite why it was that enclosure was so late is unclear but it is generally assumed to be a case of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. New College Oxford appears to have been satisfied with the arrangements made here in Great Horwood; land tenancies of various types produced cash income, while small areas were occasionally sold to individuals. The appointed bailiff managed the day-to-day organisation of the common areas and the farmland attached to the manor. Visits were made by representatives of the New College authorities, particularly at the times when the manorial court was sitting and when (welcome) loads of barley travelled to the maltings and breweries in Oxford.
However, piecemeal enclosure had taken place from early times in Great Horwood, as in other places, and it is clear that in 1841 there were numerous small fields or closes owned and fenced by individuals, mainly sited in good pasture alongside the streams or on the outskirts of the village.
The landscape we see today round Great Horwood is not as old as the village itself. John Harris, writing in 1907, remarked that formerly ‘... the landscape was very different to the present day, the fields were bare of hedgerows and comparatively wild from Winslow to Nash. The old yellow-flowered furze covered the Common and Whaddon Chase was in all its primeval beauty.’
The open fields of Great Horwood were conspicuous on contemporary maps but by the beginning of the 19th century pressure was building in Great Horwood to apply for an Act of Parliament to allow for enclosure of its common land and open fields. It had become easier for parishes to adopt these measures and the landlords in the neighbouring communities of Singleborough and Little Horwood had taken advantage of such schemes.
By 1841 Great Horwood was the only parish in north Buckinghamshire to retain the ancient open field system. Quite why it was that enclosure was so late is unclear but it is generally assumed to be a case of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. New College Oxford appears to have been satisfied with the arrangements made here in Great Horwood; land tenancies of various types produced cash income, while small areas were occasionally sold to individuals. The appointed bailiff managed the day-to-day organisation of the common areas and the farmland attached to the manor. Visits were made by representatives of the New College authorities, particularly at the times when the manorial court was sitting and when (welcome) loads of barley travelled to the maltings and breweries in Oxford.
However, piecemeal enclosure had taken place from early times in Great Horwood, as in other places, and it is clear that in 1841 there were numerous small fields or closes owned and fenced by individuals, mainly sited in good pasture alongside the streams or on the outskirts of the village.
Enclosure was seen to be to the advantage of those who had the most widespread tenancies and common rights on the land owned by the manor, and it was of course these same people who had the greatest influence on village life in general. Enclosure promised better farming efficiency, partly through the use of the new machinery that was becoming available, and hence higher profits. At the other end of the social scale there were problems arising from the withdrawal of common rights in neighbouring parishes. Some peasants who had depended on these rights to make ends meet saw the areas of common land remaining in Great Horwood as essential for subsistence.
A private Act of Parliament ‘for inclosing Lands in the Parish of Great Horwood’ was passed on 21 June 1841.
A private Act of Parliament ‘for inclosing Lands in the Parish of Great Horwood’ was passed on 21 June 1841.
Enclosure Act for Great Horwood, 1841, page 1
The Act set out the rights and obligations of New College as lord of the manor, of William Selby Lowndes who controlled Whaddon Chase, of the Rector, and of four named tenants. It appointed two gentlemen as Commissioners to implement the Act, together with a Surveyor and an Umpire to settle disputes.
The process was rapid, even though enclosure demanded that allocations of land (called ‘allotments’) be made to all those who could show that they were entitled, either by land ownership or tenure or residence or ancient rights. This meant that enormously complicated calculations were required when land was redistributed. All interactions between the manor and its tenants including common rights on manorial landholdings were taken into account, an awesome task in the days before computers. The Commissioners also determined where the roads should run.
The process was rapid, even though enclosure demanded that allocations of land (called ‘allotments’) be made to all those who could show that they were entitled, either by land ownership or tenure or residence or ancient rights. This meant that enormously complicated calculations were required when land was redistributed. All interactions between the manor and its tenants including common rights on manorial landholdings were taken into account, an awesome task in the days before computers. The Commissioners also determined where the roads should run.
The Aylesbury News, 25 September, 1841
Up to 400 separate allotments were made in and around the village. A series of public meetings was held in the village, as provided for by the Act, to enable villagers to claim their rightful allotments.
The Aylesbury News, 31st July 1841
Evidently the scheme promised good returns to some landowners. The property sale advertised directly above the Commissioners’ notice is unashamed in its promotion of the advantages of buying before enclosure.
Part of the detailed map prepared by the Inclosure Commissioners, 1841 (by permission of the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies, IR39B)
Once the boundaries of the new fields had been decided, some sort of barrier was erected to define the different allotments. In many cases a quick-growing, stock-proof hedge was chosen using a mixture of species suitable for local soil and conditions. Apart from the original intentions of demarcation these barriers also reduced wind damage on arable crops and provided alternative wildlife corridors for those common areas where cultivation had taken over from scrubland. Many of these hedges still surround our fields today, helping to maintain our now-traditional landscape.
Today there is no common land in the parish of Great Horwood although areas towards the north of Nash Road are still referred to as ‘The Common’. Two of the original allotments made in 1842 are still familiar to us. Both continue to be managed for the common good of the village. One, designated as a ‘recreational allotment’, is the five acre Recreation Ground now usually known as the Cricket Field. Just beyond the A421, on the east side of Nash Road, is Castlefields. This allotment, originally of 27 acres 1 rood 3 perches (about 27¼ acres, 11 ha), was awarded to ‘the Minister, Churchwardens, and Overseers of the Poor’ and was intended as compensation for poor villagers who had previously had the right to collect furze from that area to use as fuel. Now vested in the Poors Allotment Charity, the income from the land is today used to help ‘the aged necessitous and industrious poor’ of the parish. Around Christmas time distributions of cash and other donations are made to eligible pensioners who apply for assistance.
Today there is no common land in the parish of Great Horwood although areas towards the north of Nash Road are still referred to as ‘The Common’. Two of the original allotments made in 1842 are still familiar to us. Both continue to be managed for the common good of the village. One, designated as a ‘recreational allotment’, is the five acre Recreation Ground now usually known as the Cricket Field. Just beyond the A421, on the east side of Nash Road, is Castlefields. This allotment, originally of 27 acres 1 rood 3 perches (about 27¼ acres, 11 ha), was awarded to ‘the Minister, Churchwardens, and Overseers of the Poor’ and was intended as compensation for poor villagers who had previously had the right to collect furze from that area to use as fuel. Now vested in the Poors Allotment Charity, the income from the land is today used to help ‘the aged necessitous and industrious poor’ of the parish. Around Christmas time distributions of cash and other donations are made to eligible pensioners who apply for assistance.
Modern Farming
Prior to the outbreak of World War II in 1939, agriculture in Britain had for many years been in a very poor state, being labour intensive and inefficient from lack of investment, and with low productivity levels. The crisis of war demanded that action be taken to provide for the nation’s food, and to prevent the enemy from starving the country to its knees. According to a number of sources, it was a close run thing.
In Great Horwood, following the construction of the airfield, the Ministry of Agriculture used manpower and equipment in the area to comply with government directives concerning food production. Landowners were advised how to maximise their produce and scrubland could be requisitioned in order to increase local yields.
Superficially the involvement of the village with the land might not appear to have changed a great deal; small local businesses still supplied the rationed dairy and meat products, cows continued to walk through the village at milking times and the habits of acquiring sustenance from the countryside had not been lost.
Prior to the outbreak of World War II in 1939, agriculture in Britain had for many years been in a very poor state, being labour intensive and inefficient from lack of investment, and with low productivity levels. The crisis of war demanded that action be taken to provide for the nation’s food, and to prevent the enemy from starving the country to its knees. According to a number of sources, it was a close run thing.
In Great Horwood, following the construction of the airfield, the Ministry of Agriculture used manpower and equipment in the area to comply with government directives concerning food production. Landowners were advised how to maximise their produce and scrubland could be requisitioned in order to increase local yields.
Superficially the involvement of the village with the land might not appear to have changed a great deal; small local businesses still supplied the rationed dairy and meat products, cows continued to walk through the village at milking times and the habits of acquiring sustenance from the countryside had not been lost.
A herd of pedigree short-horn cattle coming up Winslow Road from Home Farm to the dairy to be milked by hand (twice each day)
Post-1945, although the condition of the land had improved much of the labour organised by the Ministry of Agriculture went home, but the idea that things would ‘return to normal’ never quite materialised. Young men and women had learnt new skills and the life of a labourer in the fields was no longer attractive. Better-paid work was available elsewhere, some in the neighbouring towns of Aylesbury, Bletchley and Buckingham, or why not go further afield? Not such a big deal after being away from the village for three or four years.
The tied cottages offered to some farm workers generally provided poor accommodation, and were insanitary, poorly heated and uncomfortable. They ceased to be an incentive compared with the social housing being built in most parts of the country.
In the 1950s and later, many smallholders abandoned the struggle to make a living from agriculture and its subsidiary activities. Great Horwood saw a decline in retail outlets for local produce and the number of remaining farmers in the village dwindled, the farmhouses mostly becoming private residences along with some of the related farm buildings.
It is now possible to live in a rural village and to be scarcely aware of the food production going on around us. At certain times we are reminded that manure is taken to be spread in the surrounding fields, we hear the livestock objecting to the separation from its young, or we see the lights from tractors working in the dusk.
Those farmers who remain need to select grants that fit into their general scheme of working (payments are usually made on an annual basis) and choose how best to make their farming enterprises profitable. In Great Horwood sheep suit the soil conditions, so long as the land is kept drained; the lambs can be marketed on a regular basis from late spring onwards, leaving only the stock of breeding ewes to be housed indoors during bad weather. Chickens do not compact the ground significantly and can supply eggs on a regular basis for sale.
Small farms no longer own the expensive and sophisticated machinery used during harvest, silage making and ploughing. These operations are usually subcontracted.
The tied cottages offered to some farm workers generally provided poor accommodation, and were insanitary, poorly heated and uncomfortable. They ceased to be an incentive compared with the social housing being built in most parts of the country.
In the 1950s and later, many smallholders abandoned the struggle to make a living from agriculture and its subsidiary activities. Great Horwood saw a decline in retail outlets for local produce and the number of remaining farmers in the village dwindled, the farmhouses mostly becoming private residences along with some of the related farm buildings.
It is now possible to live in a rural village and to be scarcely aware of the food production going on around us. At certain times we are reminded that manure is taken to be spread in the surrounding fields, we hear the livestock objecting to the separation from its young, or we see the lights from tractors working in the dusk.
Those farmers who remain need to select grants that fit into their general scheme of working (payments are usually made on an annual basis) and choose how best to make their farming enterprises profitable. In Great Horwood sheep suit the soil conditions, so long as the land is kept drained; the lambs can be marketed on a regular basis from late spring onwards, leaving only the stock of breeding ewes to be housed indoors during bad weather. Chickens do not compact the ground significantly and can supply eggs on a regular basis for sale.
Small farms no longer own the expensive and sophisticated machinery used during harvest, silage making and ploughing. These operations are usually subcontracted.
Equestrian
Several of the farmhouses with land adjacent developed their businesses into equestrian activities. A fair amount of land in the parish is devoted to horses, although perhaps no more than in the past when each farm would have had its own working animals. Nowadays this land is often laid out as defined paddocks.
Some families encourage their youngsters to develop countryside skills and animal care from an early age and maybe to have their own pony, before moving on to one of the local riding schools where those who are bitten by the bug can experience the various aspects of the sport. Great Horwood can be proud of nurturing the early career of the most successful British dressage rider ever and winner of all major titles and world records in the sport, 2012 and 2016 Olympic dressage star and gold medal winner Charlotte Dujardin CBE.
Several of the farmhouses with land adjacent developed their businesses into equestrian activities. A fair amount of land in the parish is devoted to horses, although perhaps no more than in the past when each farm would have had its own working animals. Nowadays this land is often laid out as defined paddocks.
Some families encourage their youngsters to develop countryside skills and animal care from an early age and maybe to have their own pony, before moving on to one of the local riding schools where those who are bitten by the bug can experience the various aspects of the sport. Great Horwood can be proud of nurturing the early career of the most successful British dressage rider ever and winner of all major titles and world records in the sport, 2012 and 2016 Olympic dressage star and gold medal winner Charlotte Dujardin CBE.
Charlotte Dujardin rides Valegro to victory at the 2012 Olympics
The Addington Centre, in the adjoining parish, draws competitors from distances, some of whom need to stay with their horses in the locality. Livery stables with facilities for horses and their riders are available in Great Horwood. Although for most participants riding is primarily a hobby, the back-up facilities and associated services needed represent a significant part of Great Horwood’s business activities.
Horse-boxes are often seen along our roads, but it is not an easy village for riders as the only bridleway is no more than 200 yards long, there is no circular route, and the traffic on the A421 makes for a hazardous crossing.
Horse-boxes are often seen along our roads, but it is not an easy village for riders as the only bridleway is no more than 200 yards long, there is no circular route, and the traffic on the A421 makes for a hazardous crossing.
Footpaths
Even if we are not involved in farming we can walk along our footpaths and enjoy the changes in the fields occurring on a day-to-day basis. These Rights of Way provide interesting walks through the countryside and also routes to our neighbouring parishes. The North Bucks Way arrives in Great Horwood from Addington (footpath 2 on the map), goes through the village and branches from Nash Road (footpath 9 on the map) where it can be followed north across fields over the A421 and then to Nash.
Even if we are not involved in farming we can walk along our footpaths and enjoy the changes in the fields occurring on a day-to-day basis. These Rights of Way provide interesting walks through the countryside and also routes to our neighbouring parishes. The North Bucks Way arrives in Great Horwood from Addington (footpath 2 on the map), goes through the village and branches from Nash Road (footpath 9 on the map) where it can be followed north across fields over the A421 and then to Nash.
Great Horwood & Singleborough Footpath Map
Awkward stiles have been replaced by kissing gates and the volunteer footpath warden reports any problems monthly. It is now possible to walk a circular route from Great Horwood to Singleborough and return without having to negotiate stiles, a great advantage for dog walkers and those with push-chairs.
The overall impression is that the countryside around us is made up of a patchwork of modestly sized fields surrounded by hedges. There is pastureland for grazing animals, mainly sheep at present, and arable fields where the crops may change from year to year. In formerly wetland areas drainage ditches may be at the base of the hedges, helping to keep them in good heart and the fields available for cultivation.
The overall impression is that the countryside around us is made up of a patchwork of modestly sized fields surrounded by hedges. There is pastureland for grazing animals, mainly sheep at present, and arable fields where the crops may change from year to year. In formerly wetland areas drainage ditches may be at the base of the hedges, helping to keep them in good heart and the fields available for cultivation.
Gardens
Many residents are able to use their gardens to re-create the rural aspect of the countryside around them. In Great Horwood these range in size from an acre or so to small handkerchief-size courtyards which can absorb most of our leisure time or just a dutiful half hour for a bit of tidying or grass mowing.
One village garden owner writes:
Many residents are able to use their gardens to re-create the rural aspect of the countryside around them. In Great Horwood these range in size from an acre or so to small handkerchief-size courtyards which can absorb most of our leisure time or just a dutiful half hour for a bit of tidying or grass mowing.
One village garden owner writes:
Having decided before moving here, that at 67 we could do with a small garden, we ended up with nearly half an acre! However I must admit that over the years I have loved every bit of it and the work has kept me very fit. There is nothing so therapeutic and satisfying, I find, as messing around in my garden (never mind the boats). Hopefully it and I will continue to enjoy each other’s company and from time to time to share it with friends.
Initial clearance, after removing 17 sackfuls of weeds
The same garden a year or two later
There are gardens in Great Horwood planted almost entirely with the kitchen in mind or for the benefit of wildlife. Whether or not this is our main intention, the young green shoots provide plenty of nourishing meals for creepy crawlies which in turn will feed the insects which collect pollen from the wide variety of flowers not now usually present in the surrounding fields. Our sheds, greenhouses and garages have nooks and crannies for over-wintering hibernators.
Allotments
Allotments occupy only a small proportion of land in and around Great Horwood but those who use them do so with enormous enthusiasm. Various places have been designated over the years. Today we have two central sites (Church Lane and Willow Road) owned by the Parish Council, together with a small part of Castlefields, the site in Nash Road owned by the Poors Allotment Charity and dating from the Inclosure Act of 1841.
The demand for space has grown over the last few years, leading to the conversion of the Willow Road site from a disused recreation ground. One Willow Road allotment holder writes:
Allotments occupy only a small proportion of land in and around Great Horwood but those who use them do so with enormous enthusiasm. Various places have been designated over the years. Today we have two central sites (Church Lane and Willow Road) owned by the Parish Council, together with a small part of Castlefields, the site in Nash Road owned by the Poors Allotment Charity and dating from the Inclosure Act of 1841.
The demand for space has grown over the last few years, leading to the conversion of the Willow Road site from a disused recreation ground. One Willow Road allotment holder writes:
[My husband] and I have two allotments in Willow Road and they were quite a challenge. The site was used by the RAF during World War II and we dug up enough bricks and chunks of concrete to fill a large skip, including a few very strange objects, but thankfully none that ticked or went bang!
We managed to grow a few vegetables the first season, of which we were very proud. Last year, 2011, was a brilliant year and we had more fruit and vegetables than we could cope with and were able to pass on the surplus to our friends and neighbours.
It is very peaceful working in the allotment with the birds singing, and occasionally the kites and buzzards soaring overhead, and our friendly blackbirds and robins, which are always on the lookout for an easy meal.
Willow Road allotments before conversion
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Willow Road allotments under full cultivation
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A Church Lane allotment holder writes:
I have gardened in the allotments behind the Church for a number of years. I grew vegetables as a child and the allotment was an opportunity to continue my enjoyment, our garden not being large enough for a vegetable plot. There is nothing more rewarding than picking your own produce after digging, sowing seeds and seeing them germinate; the taste is delicious. The bountiful harvest of raspberries and other soft fruits can be picked from mid-July to the end of September.
Additionally, the allotment takes one outside to experience the weather and the sounds of nature. It gives you the opportunity to meet with other allotment holders, chat and discuss what you are growing and how your crops are all progressing and perhaps give and receive tips.
We pay an annual fee for the lease of our allotment and it is great that all the allotments are in use, showing that this is a tradition that will be enjoyed into the future and that the land will continue to give returns for the hard labour lovingly lavished upon it.
Another allotmenteer writes:
Wonderful, we had got an allotment! We had never had an allotment before but I pictured myself popping across with my basket to gather the produce, no more supermarket vegetables. We were lucky to have inherited a plot which already had fruit bushes. We managed to dig over about half the plot and set about planting. It all looked lovely.
However, the cabbages disappeared after the first night. The pigeons are rather partial apparently. My flowers were eaten by rabbits (previously I had always thought they were so cute!). The fennel grew to huge heights and my beans, even when picked young, were so tough. But the redcurrants were lovely. I waited for the right day, when they would just be ripe, I went to pick them - and the birds had beaten me to it! I was left with about a dozen to add to my summer pudding. All was not lost though, we had huge amounts of raspberries and blackcurrants but no strawberries – blackbirds had helped themselves!
This year will be different. A fruit cage, plants planted further apart and a fence will hopefully help the yield and we are now so much more knowledgeable. You do learn by your mistakes.
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Sources:
Great Horwood Inclosure Act 1841, 4 & 5 Vict cap 22.
John Harris, Great Horwood, Bucks, MS, Arapahoe (Nebraska, USA), 1907.
Singleborough Inclosure Act 1799, 39 Geo III cap 116.
M. Tompkins, Peasant Society in a Midlands Manor.
Aylesbury News, 24th July 1841, 31st July 1841, 25th September 1841.
Great Horwood Inclosure Act 1841, 4 & 5 Vict cap 22.
John Harris, Great Horwood, Bucks, MS, Arapahoe (Nebraska, USA), 1907.
Singleborough Inclosure Act 1799, 39 Geo III cap 116.
M. Tompkins, Peasant Society in a Midlands Manor.
Aylesbury News, 24th July 1841, 31st July 1841, 25th September 1841.
© Monica Jones, 2012.