Hacker's Close
Hacker's Close
One of the most northerly fields in Preston Plucknett
Field's End was originally a large field along the north parish boundary of Preston Plucknett, lying to the immediate south of Thorne Lane and bounded by the parish boundary with Brympton in the west and Larkhill Lane in the east.
By the time of the 1763 survey of the Manor of Preston, the large field was subdivided and six fields were created running along the southern side of Thorne Lane. Hacker's Close was an almost triangular field at the centre of these six fields.
The 1846 Preston Tithe Map shows Hacker's Close (Parcel 69) bounded to the north by Thorne Lane, to the west by Field's End (Parcel 68), to the south by Broad Dean (Parcel 77) and to the east by Gayley Mead (Parcel 71).
The Preston Plucknett Tithe Apportionment of 1848 noted that Hacker's Close was owned by Lady Georgiana Fane of Brympton d'Evercy and the tenant was Thomas Hawkins (who was a tenant of over 200 acres in over 40 parcels in the parish). The field measured 3 acres, 2 roods and 23 perches. It was used as arable, for growing crops.
The 1946 aerial photograph (see below) shows the field as undeveloped, but it disappeared when the Abbey Manor estate was built in the 1980s and the site is now occupied by Thorne Gardens and the northern spur of Tintagel Road.
For details on historic land measurement (ie acres, roods and perches) click here.
maps & Aerial photograph
The main post-medieval fields of Preston Plucknett. The original large medieval field called Field's End is at top left.
Map based on the 1849 Tithe Map showing Hacker's Close (Parcel 69) at top, right of centre.
This is a 1946 aerial photograph showing huts of Houndstone army camp at centre left. The three fields to its right, clearly showing zig-zag trenches dug as training exercises, are Field's End. Hacker's Close is the light-coloured triangular field at top right.
The 1849 Tithe Map superimposed over the modern Ordnance Survey map.