Did you know that nearly all fields have a name? Sometimes a field’s name is an archaeological indicator of its past use. Once you master the ‘hidden meaning’ behind place and field names, you will soon be seeing particular field names as bright neon alerts guiding you to the wares lying just beneath the surface.
Unlocking the meaning of field names can be used to reveal the locations of previously unknown historic and ancient sites. I focus in on them extensively when I research an area. However, I can’t research all the archaeologically significant fieldnames I have found – there are just too many.
Therefore, work has now begun on adding these archaeologically significant field names to the MDUK database at www.metal-detecting-uk.com so that others can. The names have been transcribed from the Tithe Apportionments created in the mid-19th century and also many older documents dating back to the 13th century. It is hoped that this data may lay the ground for the discovery of previously unknown historic and ancient sites and further our knowledge and understanding of Britain’s history.
So, how do you learn to recognise those wordy signroads to the past? If you want to unlock the secret of a field’s name, put yourself into the shoes of the farmer who originally named that field. Imagine you need to tell your workers to harvest the crop in the field with the ‘circular mound’. What would you call the field to distinguish it from all your other fields? One thing to remember though, and it is critical, is that the person who first coined the field’s name may well have spoken in a forgotten dialect and used words no longer part of our modern language. So, an awareness of the meanings of those ancient words which luckily for us have been fossilised in place and field names is going to reap physical and intellectual rewards.
Through my research I have found fields containing mounds to have names such as Mound Field, Coney Field, Moot Field, Barrow Field, Rounds and other similar names. In Cornwall fields containing the name ‘Round’ are often the sites of small Iron Age Celtic settlements. ‘Coney’ is the old word for ‘Rabbit’. In Anglo-Saxon times and into the Medieval period ‘moots’ were places where people would meet for business and even settle court cases. Bronze Age burial mounds are commonly known as ‘barrows’. Later on in the Anglo-Saxon to Medieval period, these ancient barrows were often also used as “moots” possibly because of their prominence in the landscape and the ability for a speaker to gain an elevated position overlooking a group of listeners.
As suggested above, fields which contain the ‘barrow’ or similar name element often indicate the locations of Bronze Age Barrows. Sometimes a barrow will have been completely ploughed out with no visible remains. However, its presence may still be fossilised in the field’s name. To highlight the significance of these sites, just think of the Ringlemere Gold Cup found at the location of the Ringlemere Barrow in 2001. Thanks to the finder, Cliff Bradshaw, the site was subsequently identified as a previously unrecognised Early Bronze Age burial complex. The finder received a very substantial reward for the gold cup and the cup continuously inspires those who see it on display. Coupled with the fact that Bronze Age Barrow sites have often seen subsequent use as meeting places since Anglo-Saxon times, those ‘barrow’ field names could indicate a rich history lying beneath the surface of such a simple name.
Many field names associated with Battlesites are self-explanatory. A while ago I found a field in Essex called ‘Bloody fields’ which the farmer believed was associated with an English Civil War Battle. Further into Essex I found another field called War Fields.
However, it was not until I took an interest in Etymology, which is the study of the origins of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history, did I realise that I had overlooked many field names during the course of my research. I did not realise that many of those fields I had originally dismissed actually had archaeologically significant elements in their names.
However, parts of the names where in ‘old languages’ such as Old English, Cornish, Bretton etc which I didn’t appreciate until I had familiarised myself with some of the publications of the English Placenames Society. Once armed with this knowledge I understood ‘Harefield’ in the context of Old English and this field name took on a whole new meaning. I originally thought that this just meant that the field was known for an abundance of hares. However, I now learned that ‘Hare’ can mean to Harry and is associated with ancient warriors. Think of ‘Hereford’ which means ford where an army can cross. Maybe its more than a co-incidence that the SAS have their headquarters in Herefordshire!
Moving South West to Cornwall I came across the placename ‘Geary’ which at the time I had no understanding of. However, referencing my dictionary of the Cornish language I found that this was the Cornish word for ‘Army’. I still haven’t searched ‘Geary’ wood but I did have a look at the area around the ‘Geary’ field name and found the remains of small hilltop enclosure reminiscent of a small Iron Age hill settlement.
Another ‘wildlife’ name which I had previously dismissed was ‘Henfield’. Again I just thought that this was probably where the farm’s chicken runs had always been. However, later on I discovered that particularly in the South West the placename element ‘Hen’ is associated with the name of Tribal chiefs. So, maybe the next ‘Henfield’ I come across will be long-lost home of an Ancient Tribal chief?!
We can be forgiven for ignoring field names containing the words ‘silver’ or ‘gold’. Surely, they are just too obvious? In some cases this is correct. I once came across the name ‘Goldfelde’ in an ancient document. After much further research though my enthusiasm was deflated though when I found that this was the surname of a landowner and wasn’t the ‘Gold Field’ I had hoped for. On the other hand, think back to that farmer. Imagine that his great grandfather had found a silver coin in one of his fields and named the field ‘Silver Field’. Maybe this is the story behind the recent find of Viking silver in a field called ‘Silver Field’?
Once you start to understand the hidden meanings of placenames, facts like the presence of the Roman temple at Harlow, Essex come as no surprise. Har has a special significance in the context of ancient religious sites. The placename Harrow is another example. With respect to ‘Har’ field names they become even more interesting when they are the name of a field on a Parish border. Parish borders were often used in older times as places for trade. There are various theories for this. My favourite but is to do with the ancient belief that spirits were present on Parish borders. Given that our ancestors had superstitions into their mentality one can easily see why you are less likely to be taken badly in a deal if the spirits are watching over the transaction and ready to haunt any of those thinking to do wrong to you.
Another field name which particularly interests me is ‘Stowe’. This name is often associated with places of religious significance.
Most of us are familiar with the word ‘chester’ in a placenames such as Manchester, Cirencester, Alcester and many others. In most cases this word is derived from the Roman word ‘castra’ meaning a defended military settlement.
However, what would you think if you came across a field called ‘Blacklands’? This is probably the Number 1 name which sets my heart racing if ever I’m lucky enough to come across it while reading an historic document. Field names containing the placename element ‘black’ are very heavily associated with Roman sites in rural locations. The reasoning behind this is that continuous occupation and / or industrial activity darkens the soil to the extent the field distinguishes itself by its contrast with the surrounding fields. Hence when farmers much later on had to name fields like this for legal or administrative purposes they would have used the main distinguishing feature of the field to refer to it ie its black colour. An example is the Roman settlement at Stretton Grandison in Herefordshire which was found on a field called ‘Blacklands’.
To test this theory for myself I located a field called ‘Blacklands’ in Essex which had no known Roman archaeology in the vicinity. Upon arriving I immediately saw Roman grayware strewn all over the field and a quick eyes-only search revealed Roman roof tile and hypocaust. A subsequent survey revealed a number of Roman coins and Brooches. A surprise find was the Anglo-Saxon scheatt pictured. I did locate what appeared to be the darkest patch of the field and this held a large quantity of coke. Hence, I assumed that the soil had been darkened from some sort of Roman industrial activity. Incidentally, the location of the field was at first a complete surprise because there was very little known Roman archaeology in the close vicinity. In retrospect its elevated position overlooking a major river tributary and near to the projected course of a Roman road made it clear why the site was where it was. However, there are many locations like that in the UK so without recognising the field name for what it was, it is very unlikely that anyone, including myself would have bothered to search the field.
Sometimes a field is older than the name suggests. Examples of this are some fields which contain the words ‘Hall’. Take for instance the ‘Old Hall Field’ I came across in Essex. At first glance this name suggests that the farmer who had originally named the field had come across the foundations of an ‘old’ building. The question though is how old? The presence of the word ‘Hall’ in the field name might lead one to think that the hall referred to a Medieval Hall. However, when I cross-referenced the location of this field with the data in MDUK, I found that this field was the site of a Roman Villa!
Equipped with this discovery I searched the Field Names listed in the mid-19th Century Tithe Apportionments for Essex, looking for field names containing the words ‘Old Hall’. I also wanted to find previously unknown sites so I cross-referenced the locations of any prospective field names with MDUK to ensure that the field didn’t have any archaeology associated with it. A long while later I found another field with this name. It had no record of archaeology in the immediate vicinity and had no signs of there ever being a Roman building or Iron Age Celtic settlement there but it was strewn with Iron Age and Roman pottery…
You can keep informed of the forthcoming field name (and all other MDUK updates) by registering with the MDUK database. To do this just carry out a search at www.metal-detecting-uk.com entering your email address as a password and you will automatically be added to our newsletter.