An Environmental History of Wildlife in England 1650-1950

sevenTeenTh-CenTury environmenTs: farmland^43

figure 8 Reconstructions of the layout of open fields in Northamptonshire before
enclosure, based primarily on archaeological evidence (see Williamson et al. 2013).
Top: open fields on moderately well-drained land in the east of the county, with
extensive flood-plain meadows in the valley of the Nene. The ploughed land is almost
continuous across extensive areas. Bottom: open fields on heavy Jurassic clays in the
west of the county, showing numerous wide ribbons of pasture.