Great larkhill
Great larkhill
A former part of the great West Field of Kingston Manor
Larkhill, or Great Larkhill, was originally a sub-field, probably a common field, within the great medieval West Field of Kingston Manor. By the end of the eighteenth century it had been broken up into several smaller parcels with just one retaining the name of Great Larkhill.
Great Larkhill (Parcel 1418) was a field of Larkhill Farm and was still a large field on the eastern side of Larkhill Road and immediately north of Larkhill Farm (see 1946 aerial photograph below) to the immediate north of today's Stiby Road.
The 1846 Tithe Apportionment noted Great Larkhill as 13a 0r 10p and used as arable land. The Apportionment noted that the owner was William Jones Prowse and the tenant was James Pope.
Great Larkhill was bounded on the north by Higher Larkhill (Parcel 1415), French Grass Ground (Parcel 1414) and Higher Little Larkhill (Parcel 1413), to the west by Higher Perrythorne (Parcel 1417), to the south by Larkhill Farm, Cribhouse Perrythorne (Parcel 1446) and In Higher Perrythorne (Parcel 1445) and to the east by Thorney Bush (Parcel 1419).
Today the site of the former Great Larkhill is occupied by the houses and gardens of Springfield Road (built in 1953) and houses on the north side of Stiby Road.
For details on historic land measurement (ie acres, roods and perches) click here.
maps
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 conjectural map of the great West Field of Kingston Manor showing ancient sub-fields, most likely common fields, within the overall bounds of West Field.
The Larkhill area reproduced from the 1842 Tithe Map. Great Larkhill is lower left.
By the time of the 1931 sale of Larkhill Farm the size of the farm had been much reduced to just over 22 acres, including Great Larkhill.
The 1946 aerial photograph - Great Larkhill is in the top right quadrant (bisected by poorly aligned photographs) and immediately north of Larkhill Farm.
The same area today 'borrowed' from Google maps.
The 1842 Tithe Map superimposed (slightly out at the bottom) over a modern map.