Laxton, Nottinghamshire
Encyclopedia
Laxton is a small village
in the civil parish
of Laxton and Moorhouse in the English
county of Nottinghamshire
, situated about 25 miles northeast of Nottingham
city centre.
Laxton is best known for having the last remaining working open field system
in the United Kingdom
. Its name is recorded first in the Domesday Book
as Laxintone and may come from Anglo-Saxon Leaxingtūn = "farmstead or estate of the people of a man called Leaxa".
The Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre is just west of the village.
motte and bailey castle
(Laxton Castle
) and a Holocaust museum. In addition, there are the remnants of a substantial system of fish-ponds (possibly belonging to the castle, or to the later manor
built on the site), two mediæval mill mounds, and ridge-and-furrow earthworks. The village church mostly dates back to the 12th century; after this, the earliest known standing structure is a 1703 farmhouse. Most of the village architecture sits firmly in the local vernacular tradition, with nearly a fifth of the buildings dating from the 18th century, and around 40% from each of the 19th and 20th.
) shows that these three fields were in use at that date, but that they were significantly larger than their current size. There was also a fourth field, the East Field, which was considerably smaller than the others, and farmed as part of the West Field. This was fully enclosed
, and today is a number of small fields.
The strips within the fields have also changed significantly, with changes in technology. Originally, a single strip would have represented approximately a single day of plough
ing; such a strip today would be far too small to be really practical for a tractor
-drawn plough. Instead, over time, strips have been consolidated to provide workable parcels of land; the result today is that the average strip size has increased significantly over mediaeval times. However, the practical aspects of open field farming are still very much what they would have been 500 years ago.
Laxton is unique because the open field system is still alive and in daily use. Although the village is now recognised as an important heritage site, it is home to working farmers, who rely on the land for their income. While modern expectations and needs mean that all the farmers own land outside the open fields, the open fields are not part of a museum or showcase but a living part of the agricultural landscape. The system is protected today by a Parliamentary undertaking given by the Crown Estate
Commissioners on their 1981 purchase of the Laxton estate and by a Countryside Stewardship agreement held between the Court Leet and the then-Countryside Commission
. The sykes, four areas of grassland, are also protected by SSSI
status.
Laxton's strip fields were depicted on a postage stamp designed by David Tress
that was issued in 1999 by the Royal Mail as part of their Millennium stamp
series; the stamp also doubled as Royal Mail's contribution to that year's Europa postage stamp
issue with the theme of Parks and Reserves.
The vision for the centre came when Stephen and James Smith visited Israel with their parents. Some time later, on another visit, they saw Yad Vashem
, and were inspired to build a memorial in Britain.
The centre is also home to the Aegis Trust
, an all-party group working for genocide prevention. One of their interests is in Kigali, Rwanda
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Laxton and Moorhouse in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, situated about 25 miles northeast of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
city centre.
Laxton is best known for having the last remaining working open field system
Open field system
The open field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to as recently as the 20th century in some places, particularly Russia and Iran. Under this system, each manor or village had several very large fields, farmed in strips by individual families...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Its name is recorded first in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Laxintone and may come from Anglo-Saxon Leaxingtūn = "farmstead or estate of the people of a man called Leaxa".
The Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre is just west of the village.
Features
The village has the remains of a NormanAnglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
motte and bailey castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
(Laxton Castle
Laxton Castle
Laxton Castle is a late-11th or early-12th century medieval castle located north of the village of Laxton in Nottinghamshire, England. According to an early 20th-century report by the British Archaeological Association, the site is notable not only as "the most striking specimen of a mount and...
) and a Holocaust museum. In addition, there are the remnants of a substantial system of fish-ponds (possibly belonging to the castle, or to the later manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
built on the site), two mediæval mill mounds, and ridge-and-furrow earthworks. The village church mostly dates back to the 12th century; after this, the earliest known standing structure is a 1703 farmhouse. Most of the village architecture sits firmly in the local vernacular tradition, with nearly a fifth of the buildings dating from the 18th century, and around 40% from each of the 19th and 20th.
Open Fields
Laxton parish today has much conventionally-farmed land but retains also a significant part of the mediaeval open field system. Fields, divided into strips, are farmed in common among the landowners of the village. Today, there are three open fields remaining; the Mill Field, the South Field and the West Field. A 1635 survey of the parish carried out by Mark Pierce (still extant and held in the Bodleian LibraryBodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
) shows that these three fields were in use at that date, but that they were significantly larger than their current size. There was also a fourth field, the East Field, which was considerably smaller than the others, and farmed as part of the West Field. This was fully enclosed
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
, and today is a number of small fields.
The strips within the fields have also changed significantly, with changes in technology. Originally, a single strip would have represented approximately a single day of plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
ing; such a strip today would be far too small to be really practical for a tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
-drawn plough. Instead, over time, strips have been consolidated to provide workable parcels of land; the result today is that the average strip size has increased significantly over mediaeval times. However, the practical aspects of open field farming are still very much what they would have been 500 years ago.
Laxton is unique because the open field system is still alive and in daily use. Although the village is now recognised as an important heritage site, it is home to working farmers, who rely on the land for their income. While modern expectations and needs mean that all the farmers own land outside the open fields, the open fields are not part of a museum or showcase but a living part of the agricultural landscape. The system is protected today by a Parliamentary undertaking given by the Crown Estate
Crown Estate
In the United Kingdom, the Crown Estate is a property portfolio owned by the Crown. Although still belonging to the monarch and inherent with the accession of the throne, it is no longer the private property of the reigning monarch and cannot be sold by him/her, nor do the revenues from it belong...
Commissioners on their 1981 purchase of the Laxton estate and by a Countryside Stewardship agreement held between the Court Leet and the then-Countryside Commission
Countryside Commission
The Countryside Commission was a statutory body in England and Wales, and later in England only...
. The sykes, four areas of grassland, are also protected by SSSI
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
status.
Laxton's strip fields were depicted on a postage stamp designed by David Tress
David Tress
David Tress is a British artist noted particularly for his deeply personal interpretations of landscapes in and around his home in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales...
that was issued in 1999 by the Royal Mail as part of their Millennium stamp
Millennium Stamp
A Millennium stamp is a postage stamp issued by a postal administration commemorating a millennium associated with that country's history but several countries issued stamps for the beginning of the 3rd millennium in same cases depicting some of their country's achievements over the preceding...
series; the stamp also doubled as Royal Mail's contribution to that year's Europa postage stamp
Europa postage stamp
Europa stamps have been issued annually since 1956. First sets representing the founding 6 members of the ECSC, European Coal and Steel Community, then by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations in 1959, and by PostEurop since 1993...
issue with the theme of Parks and Reserves.
Beth Shalom
Opened in September 1995, Beth Shalom Holocaust Memorial Centre was the first venue in Britain dedicated to the Holocaust as its primary purpose. The venue is based around an old farm house which has a purpose built exhibition centre with lecture theatre, and a Memorial Garden. A feature of the garden is a black stone on which are inscribed the names of the Nazi death camps.The vision for the centre came when Stephen and James Smith visited Israel with their parents. Some time later, on another visit, they saw Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
, and were inspired to build a memorial in Britain.
The centre is also home to the Aegis Trust
Aegis Trust
Aegis Trust, founded in 2000, is the leading British NGO which campaigns to prevent genocide worldwide. Based at the United Kingdom’s Holocaust Centre, which opened in 1995, the Aegis Trust coordinates the UK Genocide Prevention All-Party Parliamentary Group , funds the Genocide Prevention Group ...
, an all-party group working for genocide prevention. One of their interests is in Kigali, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
.
External links
- Laxton Village Survey report by Trent & Peak Archæological Trust
- Laxton's fields on a 19p Royal Mail stamp
- Site for Laxton's Visitor Centre
- Site for Stuart Rose - Laxton farmer
- Site for the Open Field parish magazine
- University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections learning resource, 'Laxton: Living in an Open Field Village', presenting documents relating to aspects of the history of Laxton, 1635-1908
- Portal for web sites for Beth Shalom; Aegis Trust; and related topics.