Yeovil's Virtual Museum

Nap Furlong

On the extreme western boundary of Preston Plucknett

 

Preston Plucknett's North Field was originally a large Medieval field along the western parish boundary of Preston Plucknett, lying to the south of another Medieval field called Field's End. North Field was bounded by the parish boundary with Brympton in the west and to the east by the field access track known as Eighteen Acre Lane.

By the time of the 1763 Survey of the Manor of Preston, the large Medieval field had been broken up into a number of smaller fields and Nap Furlong was one of these, located at the northwest corner of the former North Field and abutting Field's End. The 1763 Survey recorded it as Nap Furlong, measuring (in 'old' units) 8 acres, 2 roods, 18 perches. At this time the field was arable and used to grow crops.

The 1846 Preston Tithe Map shows the field still called Nap Furlong (Parcel 57). It was bounded on the north by Hurdle Corner (Parcel 61), to the west by the parish boundary with Brympton, to the south by Pitt's Corner (Parcel 56) and to the east it was bounded by Higher Preston Field (Parcel 58).

The Preston Plucknett Tithe Apportionment of 1848 noted that Quarr 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 (in 'new' units) 7 acres, 2 roods and 34 perches and was still used as arable land.

The 1946 aerial photograph (see below) shows the field as undeveloped. It disappeared when the Abbey Manor estate was built in the 1980s and the site is now occupied by Western Avenue and the central section of Malmesbury Way.

 

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

 

 

The main post-Medieval fields of Preston Plucknett. The original large Medieval field called Field's End is at top left, with North Field to its south.

 

Map based on the 1849 Tithe Map showing Hurdle Corner (Parcel 61) at centre left.

 

This is a 1946 aerial photograph showing Houndstone army camp (at centre left). At centre is the Preston Plucknett Flax Works and at centre right is the post-war Larkhill Lane pre-fabricated housing estate. Nap Furlong is the centre of the three fields abutting Houndstone army camp but by this time it was square, having absorbed Higher Preston Field (Parcel 58) to its east.

 

The 1849 Tithe Map superimposed over the modern Ordnance Survey map.