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shared by 'Single Hole Field', Bouts Hole Field and
‘Willows hole Field’, as also by ‘Thunder hole’ on Pease Hill
Farm. That same farm’s ‘Breach Field’ was not an offshoot of the
thunder, but was so named from land that had been newly broken.
Turner’s Farm had its ‘Great Slides’ and ‘Little
Slides’, but serious competitors for the category of sports and
pastimes were rare. Cuckolds Corner Farm, owned by the lords of Ash manor,
was graced by Hither, Middle and Upper ‘Shooting Valleys’ and on Ash
Place Farm past glories were reflected by ‘Bowling Green Mead’, which
was just north of the churchyard and only a step from the manor house.
Industry made small impact on the field names, but the Forge
at Butlers Point gave its name to a ‘Forge Field’ and South Ash Farm
and Ash Place Farm each had its ‘Sand Pits Field’. Hard by the
homestead at Ash Place was ‘Brick Kiln Field’ wherein the now mellowed
bricks of the manor house would have bean made but, probably, none others.
The Forge was one of many buildings or the like from which
field names derived. There were numerous ‘Barn’ Fields and, at Lower
Pettings, a ‘Barn Hazards’.
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Mr Whitaker’s West Yoke Farm had a 'Mill Courts’ and at North Ash Farm were ‘Great
Mill Field’, ‘Ten Acre Mill Field’ and ‘Little Mill Field’;
the last of these had perhaps not always been little, for adjoining it was
the ‘Field called Olivers Mill Field’. On Turner’s Farm was a ‘Malt
house Field’ and. at Lower Pettings an ‘Hop house Field’. The church
gave Ash Place Farm a ‘Church Field’ and the manor house a ‘Court
Field’ and an ‘Inner Court Field’. Doubts as to whether the manor of
Holiwell ever possessed a manor house and, if so, where it was may be
resolved by the presence at Rands House Farm of ‘Great Court Field’
and ‘Little Court Field’. Of humbler origins were the ‘Great
Cart-house’ and ‘Little Cart-house’ Fields of South Ash Farm. Horns
Lodge had a ‘Home Walls’, a ‘Middle Walls’ and a ‘Little
Wall Field’, as well as a ‘Wall Wood’ and a ‘Wall Shaw’. Gates
figured occasionally, as in ‘Pease Gate Field and Shaw’ at Cop Hall
Farm, ‘Care hatch Field’ at Lower Pettings and ‘Swing Gate Field’,
which was let by Mr Lance to Mrs Porter.
‘Priest Field’ at Upper Pettings and Abbots Wood seem the
only possible representatives of professions or vocations, but |