Field Names

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Field and place names give a valuable insight into Cradley's past. Using the information provided in the 1782 and 1785 surveys, together with the Richard Brettell's Estates Map (circa 1800) and the Tithe Map of 1843, Margaret Bradley and Barry Blunt have produced tables which identify Cradley field names, their derivation and their location in present day terms.

Cradley Links wishes to record our sincere thanks to Margaret Bradley and Barry Blunt for their generous permission to reproduce these excerpts from their book, "The History of Cradley: A Survey of Cradley and the Enclosure Book".

Classified Index of Cradley Field Names

Open Field System
Boundaries
Size of Field
Order
Shape
Soil
Natural Features
Roads
Flora
Crops
Domestic/Farm Animals
Cradley Park
Buildings
Industrial
Identity of Owner/Tenant
Miscellaneous

1. Open Field System

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Cradley Upper /Over (Woe) Field	Oldnall Road, Foxcote Lane, Parish Boundary	Part of the medieval open field system. Woe (or Woo) derives from the Old English 'woh' = crooked
Cradley Lower/Nether (Woe) Field	Foxcote Lane,Two Gates, Lutley Gutter	Earliest reference to Nether Woefield is in an indenture between the Earl of Ormond and Thomas Parkes of Cradley, dated 1510.
Colman Field	Two Gates, Drews Holloway, Colman Hill	Part of the medieval open field system.
Burfield	Colley Lane,Slade Road	Part of the medieval open field system. Burr = Flower head with hooks and prickles. Or OE = store house or cottage
Hitherbrook Furlong	In Nether Woe Field	Furlong = the length of furrow that the plough took before the oxen had to stop, theoretically a square of 10 acres. From the 9th century this was standardised at 220 yards. The term was also applied to a rectangular block of parallel strips within an open field, each block identified by name.
The Great Furlong	In Colman Field
Long Furlong	In Over Woe Field
Farbrook Furlong	In Nether Woe Field
Big Furlong	Highfield Estate, Furlong Lane
Little Furlong	In Colman Field
Match Furlong	In Nether Woe Field
Lutlee Gutter Furlong	In Nether Woe Field
Shutlands (Strutlands)	Talbot Street,Furlong Lane	Blocks of strips within the open field.
Upper/Lower Doles Crooked Doles	Homer Hill In Nether Woe Field	Common meadow and hay land allocated to the tenants of open fields. OE dal = shared
Ninelands	Slade Road,Homer Hill	Nine strips of land within the open field.
The Butts Headland	In Nether Woe Field	Headlands of the open field system which often formed winding routes between fields. As these fields were held in common, they were gradually established as rights of way.

2. Boundaries

Field Name	Location	Derivation
The Meres	Both sides of Foxcote Lane	OE maere = boundary land
Skirts/Smock Skirts	In Over Woe Field	Smock = Land on which the rendering of tithe wood was replaced by the payment of money
Far Piece	Near the boundary at The Hayes
Far Inhedge	In Over Woe Field

3. Size of Field

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Dogtree Acre Furlong	In Nether Woe Field	Acre was originally used to signify a piece of land cleared for ploughing or grazing of no fixed size. Later it became defined as a strip of an open field sufficiently large to be ploughed by a yoke of oxen in a day.
Big Inhedge	In Over Woe Field
Pingle	Numerous places	ME pingel = a small piece of land
Pleck	Numerous places	ME plek = a small plot of land.

4. Order

Middle Meadow	Mogul Lane
Over Sling	Highfield	Land beyond the Sling
First, Middle and Far Smithy Croft	Lyde Green, Maypole Hill	Land near a forge (in this case Cradley Forge)

5. Shape

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Round Innage (or Inhedge)	Oldnall	Innage = land taken in and enclosed
Long Innage	2 Fields bear this name, one in Over Woefield, the other between Park Road and Homer Hill
Broad Innage	In Over Woefield
Long Meadow	Netherend
Sling	Numerous places	ME sling = small narrow strip of land
Three cornered close	Barrack Lane/Park Road
Roundabout	Park Lane Church	A piece of land surrounded by roads

6. Soil

Field Name	Location	Derivation
The Rough	Near Cradley Forge
Stone Piece/Stoney Close	Between Maypole Hill and Mogul Lane,next to the Stour	Stony soil
Dirty Piece	Toys Lane/Windmill Hill	Muddy land
Copy Marling	Between Park Lane & boundary	Coppice where marl was spread or dug
Marl Pit Bank Marl Pit Inhedge Marl Pit Hill	The area bounded by Toys Lane,Windmill Hill and Two Gates Lane.	Practise of spreading marl and manure on fields was of prehistoric origin. Marl was a mixture of clay and lime used by Romans to improve fertility of acidic soil. Marl pits were dug by Saxons and then continued from Mediaeval period
Paradise	Two Gates	Fertile, profitable soil.

7. Natural Features

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Slade Piece	Colley Lane school field/Slade Road	Dell, hollow, basin on side of hill, side valley OE slaed = valley
Hilly Leasow	Homer Hill	Pasture, enclosed land on a hill, difficult to plough.
The Hill	Homer Hill
Hollow Meadow	Homer Hill
Bank Leys	Homer Hill	ME banke = Slope or embankment
The Moors	Oldnall	OE mor = uncultivated land. Not just upland, but fen and marsh.
Hays Dingle	At parish boundary in the vicinity of James Scott Road	ME dingle = A deep hollow. OE gehaeg = Hedges
The Folly	2 areas bear this name. First on either side of Oldnall Road near the junction with Foxcote Lane,the second is between Maypole Hill and Mogul Lane,known as Folly Moor	Shelter for travellers in inhospitable landscapes on ancient route system. French feuille = foliage
Deanford	At bottom of Mogul Lane near the Stour	Crossing place over a river, in a valley. The origin of this name - deonflinc ford is first found in the Anglo Saxon charter of 952 that set the boundary between Cradley and Oldswinford.
Hollow Close	Oldnall
Bath Field	Belle Vale/Colman Hill	OE baeo = Pond
Lyde		Llio = place on a concave slope. Lyde Green slopes steeply from Homer Hill to River Stour.
Upper/Lower Hanging Inhedge Hanging Close	Top of Talbot Street/Spring Street Homer Hill/Park Lane	Hanging = Land on a steep slope
Siden meadow	Butcher's Lane/River Stour	Land at the side of a stream

8. Roads

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Holloway Piece (Leasowe)	Drews Holloway south	A sunken track, usually on sloping ground, worn into soft rock by constant passage of cattle and traffic such as wagons and pack horses.
Causeway Innage	Junction of Foxcote Lane and Oldnall Road	A raised road in wet ground. A path of timber, stones or earth. Date from Neolithic to present day. Many were constructed in middle ages by the monasteries.
Church Highway	Highfield/Furlong Lane	The 1782 survey and the 1800 map both contain this field name, but the Tithe Map refers to the field as Walk Leasowe. As there was no church in Cradley at this time, it is assumed that this was the route from Cradley Town to Halesowen Church.
Highway Hill Croft	Homer Hill
Road Close	Homer Hill

9. Flora

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Broomy Hayes	Beecher Road East	Land where broom grew. Hayes = enclosed by hedges
Gorsy (Gosty) Hill	Beecher Road East	Land where gorse grew
Silver Innage Silver Acre	Homer Hill/Slade Road	Latin Silva = wood
Stockhold/Stockall	Park Lane	Land with tree stumps left standing in it. OE stocc
Osier Bed	Alongside the Stour near Cradley Forge	Osier willows (salix vinilalis) were grown besides streams and marshes. Its thin stems were used for basket-making.
Pineapple Piece	Highfield	Land where pine trees grew?

10. Crops

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Wheat Croft	Oldnall
Wheat Field	Park Lane
The Rickyard	Oakley Memorial Gardens	Field where ricks/stacks of hay were built.
Rick Close	Colman Hill
Rick Innage	Homer Hill
Flaxen Well	Talbot Street/Spring Street	Flax was widely cultivated from medieval times and declined considerably just before the beginning of the C19^th It was cultivated for the seeds and fibres of its stems that were made into thread and woven into linen fabric. It was often grown on small parcels of ground known as plecks.
The Linnards	Cradley Town	Land on which flax was grown. OE lin.

11. Domestic/Farm Animals

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Bullocks Innage	Lutley Gutter near Water Stile
Bull Acre	Drews Holloway/Dencil Close
Calves Close	2 Field bear this name. One near to Oldnall Farm, the other in the area of Drews Holloway/Dencil Close
Ox Leasow	Homer Hill
Fold Piece	Lyde Green/Hillcrest Avenue
The Paddock	Butchers Lane/The Stour	Grazing ground
Paddock Leasow	Oldnall
Lamb Pleck	Near Maypole Hill
Pinfold Meadow	Bridge Street/Mill Street	Land where stray animals were impounded
Horse Pasture	Tanhouse Lane

12. Cradley Park

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Lower & Upper Park		Cradley Park was created around 1275 by Roger de Somery, Lord of the Manor. It would have been enclosed by ditches and a wooden palisade and used to breed deer, which would later be released on to Pensnett Chase for hunting. By the 18th century it had become dense woodland.
Park Piece
Park Close
Park Meadow

13. Buildings

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Mill Fields	Shelton Lane	Shelton Mill was by the river at bottom of Shelton Lane
Mill Croft	Homer Hill	Some maps show a windmill on Homer Hill
Mill Meadow	Boundary at Overend/Rowley	This is the site of Cradley Mill, first mentioned in 1179. It appears on later maps as Hedgers Mill
Windmill Close	Two Gates Lane	Two Windmills were situated in what is now Two Gates Lane. Both erected C1770 by Thomas Millward of Wollescote Hall
Chapel Meadow	Chapel House Lane	According to tradition dating back before 1754, an ancient chapel stood in this vicinity.
Chapel Yard Close	Chapel House Lane
Barn Piece	Park Lane
Barn Close	Various places
Shop Close	Oldnall	OE sceoppa = shed
Alms House Close	Junction of Furlong Lane/Butchers Lane	Trustees for the Poor of Cradley erected four almshouses in 1711
Wainhouse Close	Chapel House Lane/Colley Gate
House Meadow	Netherend
Home Close	Homer Hill
Stable Croft	Colman Hill/Banners Lane

14. Industrial

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Brick Kiln	Two sites, on either side of Windmill Hill at the junction with Furlong Lane & Toys Lane	Where brick making took place (see note 1)
Coppice (Copy)	Numerous	(see note 2)
Coalpit Field	Between Mogul Lane & boundary	Due to the presence of coal on or near the surface.

15. Identity of Owner/Tenant

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Cox's Innage	Clent View Road
Grove's Field	In Over Woefield
Amphlett's Innage	Clent View Road
Paston's Innage	Colman Hill/Highfield
Hunt's Innage	In Over Woefield
Downing's Innage	High Park Road
Read's Meadow	Chapel House Lane
Mason's Close	Near Mason's Close!
Darby's Hill	Maypole Hill
Smart's Meadow	Lyde Green/River Stour
Tibbott's Close	Near Middletree Road
Burley's Close	Cradley Town
Jones's Close	Cradley Town
Butler 's Close	Cradley Town
Bridgewater 's Piece	Banners Lane
Wilkin's Croft	Banners Lane
Bloomer's Inhedge	Banners Lane
Pearsall's Piece	Lutley Gutter
Dicks's Inhedge	In Nether Woefield
Stevens' Piece	In Nether Woefield
Welchman's Acre	In Nether Woefield
Ridding's Close	Colley Gate	Ridding (OE ryding) = cleared land
Pitt's Close	Toys Lane
Skelding's Close	Toys Lane
Dalton 's Close	Colley Gate
Millar's Close	In Colman Field
Banner's Piece	Banners Lane
Forest Meadow	Near Cradley Park
Coalbourne Close	Park Road/Barracks Lane

16. Miscellaneous

Field Name	Location	Derivation
Cockshutts	Homer Hill	OE coccscyte = a woodland clearing where birds were trapped in a net as they flew through the glade
Paled Inhedge	Maple Tree Lane/Colley Lane	Land enclosed by a paled fence.
Broody Croft	Park Lane/Homer Hill	Possibly a site of a disaster or a place where animals were slaughtered. Tithe Map name = Bloody Croft
Dansel Gap	Dencil Close
Long Compton	In Over Woefield
New Innage	Oldnall Road
The Wardens	James Scott Road/Bassett Road	OE wordign =Enclosed land.
Foxen Dean	Foxcote Lane	The origin of this name - Foxcotum (Fox Cottages) is first found in the Anglo Saxon charter of 952 that set the boundary between Cradley and Oldswinford.
Fatherless Piece	In Nether Woefield	Note that the land had this name before any buildings were erected on it.
York Meadow	Between Park Lane and the parish boundary
Fordraft
Green Close	Oldnall Road
Oldnall Gate Close	Oldnall Road at parish boundary	Oldnall Gate is a marker in the extent of Oldswinford parish 1733

Notes

Brick-making (Note 1)

After clay was excavated from the ground it was 'puddled' to remove unwanted material and provide an even consistency. It was then moulded into its required form using a wooden mould and dried to reduce shrinkage. Final burning took place in a clamp in which bricks were stacked together with faggots of brushwood as fuel. This method gave unevenness in size and colour until it was replaced by burning in kilns in which bricks were stacked to allow the passage of hot air between them. Firing took about 48 hours.

Few buildings were built in Britain with brick before the 17th C., despite the advantages of baking bricks on site or using local kilns, as opposed to quarrying, dressing and transporting stone.

Coppice (Note 2)

The term is now used to describe any small area of woodland, but coppicing was a technical term applied to tree cultivation. Deciduous tree species produce a mass of shoots when cut. They grow into straight stems, increasing annually in height and thickness and can be harvested at regular intervals. The ancient craft of coppicing dates from the Neolithic period. It was a major industry, supplying fuel and building materials, besoms, hurdles, handles and hay-rakes, wattles, laths, thatching spars, cogwheels and spindles. Trees were coppiced by rotation.

Reproduced with permission.