Ashbourne originally had three large medieval fields to the north of the town. These contained arable strips which were farmed on a communal basis but thrown open to common grazing after harvest time each year. By the 17th century there was pressure by farmers to ‘enclose’ the strips into individual privately owned fields which were more efficient and profitable, but this was resisted by the poorer inhabitants who would loose their grazing rights.
There were disputes in the courts in 1625 and 1630 along the following lines:-
The inhabitants’ case:-
“The inhabitants of the town of Ashborne stated that they had ownership and ancient rights within the manor held by the Crown, and that by ancient custom had common rights off pasture in the three fields for two beasts or twenty sheep yearly, during such time of the year as the fields were open, or in the fallow year.
The land owners had denied them of their rights of common pasture by enclosing parcels of the three fields, and threatened to enclose the residue, and had impounded the cattle of the inhabitants.“
The landowners’ case:-
“
The fields were not situated in Ashborne, but in Offcote,part of the manor of Wirksworth.
The fields lay near the town and cattle strayed out of the town and into the fields.
But so that the owners might enclose their fields there had been an agreement between them that the inhabitants should lay their dung on the common dung-hill in the town, where the owners might fetch it to manure their fields.
In return the inhabitants should have common pasture in the open time, but this agreement had been broken for over 30 years by the inhabitants and they should not have common pasture.“
The Court decreed that the enclosures could proceed subject to the farmers paying compensation in the form of a rent charge on each new enclosed field, which was to be used for relief of the poor in the town. These ‘Rents’ were to be collected and distributed by the Governors and Assistants.
The quantity of land liable to this charge was 146A 2R 20P and the annual sum received was £14 8s. 8d. (about £3,000 in todays terms)
This charge came to be known as:-
‘The Field Rents’
Field Rent Map 1868
Field names added in red, road names added in black.
The red stars mark fields 23 and 24
Field Rent request for payment sent to the executors of Sir Mathew Blakiston 1811 – 1883, of Sandybrook Hall, the 4th baronet of London.
The request shows the number of acres charged and the amount due.
36A. 2R. 36P. amount due £3 13s 3d.
Field Rents could be redeemed by paying a sum of money to cancel the annual payments.
In the early days, this was about 20 times the Field Rent due each year.
Later on, they were redeemed by buying government securities which paid the equivalent amount in interest each year to the Field Rents that were due.
An Example
4th March. 1903
The Clerk reported that 17 tons 14cwt of coal had been distributed amongst 118 persons, poor inhabitants of Ashborne at a cost of £14 15s 0d out of the Field Rents,
Coal continued to be distributed until 1960 when a payment was made of 9/- (the estimated cost of a bag of coal to each of 62 persons.
In 1962 there came into force a new order relating to the Poor Charities which involved the combination of the Poor Charities and coal was no longer distributed to the poor