Page:English Historical Review Volume 35.djvu/441

 1920 THE CULTIVATION OF CLOSES 433 tural technique than champion farming. There were, however,, considerable areas which were uninfluenced by such inclosures as took place in the seventeenth century, and were not enclosed by act in the following century. Much of the arable in these areas was cultivated in closes prior to 1650. Now in these regions of old inclosure were artificial means taken to maintain the fertility of the soil ; in other words, was the fallow dispensed with as in the open field townships which were enclosed later ? As early as the fourteenth century there is evidence from Kent that portions of an estate were under annual cultivation,^ but such advanced methods can only have been rendered possible through the methodical manuring of the land as in the Scotch ' infields ' of the eighteenth century.^ Exceptional examples like these, though they cannot be disregarded, must not be viewed as representative of medieval Kentish practice ; moreover, some uncertainty exists as to the progress or importance of inclosures within the county at that date. This difficulty is, however, removed with regard to certain Hertfordshire parishes during the seventeenth century, the parcels comprising the farms being set out in extenso in the leases which have survived. In 1 660 the coheirs of William Cox, ' late of Porters in the parish of Shenley ', a village some four miles to the south-east of St. Albans, leased to George Sibley a yeoman of the same parish, for twelve years ' all that messuage or farm called Porters Lodge ' with the appurtenances, consisting of eighteen closes containing 134 acres, of which 9 acres are meadow, 21 acres pasture, 95 acres arable, and 9 acres the nature of which is unspecified.^ As roots and artificial grasses had not yet been introduced, the disposal of the farm manure was of prime impor- tance to the lessee. The tenant covenants that he will lay on spend and in husbandly manner bestow in and upon the demised premises all the soyle muck dung straw and stover which during the said term shall be raised in or upon the demised premises. . . and shall carry noe muck dung corn in straw or straw of or from the premises.* The conditions then follow that he shall not crosse cropp or double cropp any part of the premises hereby demised and will observe and keepe the ordinary usuall and accustomed seasons and manners of plowing the same so that the premises which may be plowed and sowed shalbee sowed but twice in every three years, but noe more or otherwise. ' H. L. Gray, English Field Si/stems, p. 302. cultivation was sharply opposed to the primitive routine applied to the ' outfield '. year was £37, for the next ten years £74 per annum, and for the last year £111. Papers, E. 57. VOL. XXXV. — mo. cxxxix, r f
 * The ' infield ' was but a restricted portion of the farm's arable, and its intensive
 * Englefield Papers, E. 59, University College, Reading. The rent for the first
 * One Richard Hunte of Shenley agrees to similar stipulations in 1607 : Englefield