Yeovil's Virtual Museum

Down Lane

A field within the great manorial East Field

 

Down Lane (Parcel 916), was originally a field in the great Medieval East Field of Kingston Manor.

Although Down Lane appears on the 1842 Tithe Map, unfortunately the 1846 Tithe Apportionment omitted it, so its ownership, usage and size are unknown from that source, but it appears to have been roughly two acres.

Down Lane was bounded on the south by Lyde Lane (this part later to be Vale Road) and on the east by a northern spur field access track (later to be part of Oxford Road). On the north it was bounded by an element of Ten Acres (Parcel 914) and on the east by Stubble Ground (Parcel 915).

By the time of the 1946 aerial photograph seen below, Down Lane was still an open field.

Today, the former Down Lane is occupied by the Oxford Road Trading Estate.

For details on historic land measurement (ie acres, roods and perches) click here.

 

This map, based on the descriptions in the 1589 Terrier and the 1846 Tithe Map of Yeovil shows the approximate boundaries of the Manors of Kingston and Hendford as well as the manorial three-field system used in Kingston.

 

A map of the great Medieval East Field of Kingston Manor showing conjectured locations of several fields based on descriptions in the 1589 Terrier.

 

Drawn from the 1846 Tithe Map with field names added from the 1846 Tithe Apportionment, with Down Lane (Parcel 916) at the lower left.

 

The 1946 aerial survey photograph with parcel numbers of 1846 plotted on. The green line is the county boundary running along the River Yeo.

 

The 1843 Tithe Map overlaid onto a modern map of the area. The course of the Yeo just above the north point appears to have changed course somewhat.