Agriculture

Chobham had many common (shared) fields, principally near West End and Valley End.  The last of these common fields survived until the mid 19th C when they were enclosed.  In Chobham these fields are relatively small and distant from the village and there is no evidence yet of the classical three-field system, apparent in Egham, Windlesham and most of the midland region. Nor is there evidence whether the common fields were organised and followed the practice of synchronised crop rotation.  The abundance of pasture on the heath made this system less needed, but the fields would soon be exhausted without at least a season lying fallow.  In Egham the common fields followed the classic pattern; they were one furlong long (220 yards) and users typically held one or half acre pieces - which strongly suggests they were organised in 22 yard-wide strips.^{3 1963 p382}  No relic furlongs have yet been found in Chobham; it is possible that because the soil is so much lighter, heavy 8-oxen plough teams were not required and thus small plough teams could manoeuvre even in relict Bronze and Iron age rectangular fields.

At Windlesham and Egham the common fields were divided into three, e.g. in Egham "in Homworth field - Estforlong, Middelforlong, Westforlong".  This presumably to allow synchronised rotation.  In medieval times there were no field boundaries between the strips since it was the custom to plough right across the field.  Also with boundaries sheep could not easily graze across several strips during the fallow season.^{1 p134} 

The value of honey and hay would be greater than the arable crop.

Chobham and the Thames-side parishes had extensive hay meadows. The Chertsey Cartulary shows us that meadow land was two to six times the value of arable land. Meadow land provided hay - a vital crop required to get the plough oxen through the winter.  Once the crop had been stacked, usually during August, meadow would provide pasture, but only to a limited number of animals since meadow is easily damaged when wet by trampling.

The Common or wasteland was a valuable resource. The villagers would have been able to graze their stock and collect fuel from the wasteland.  Woodland would provide forage for stock and pigs. Pigs were usually taken to the woodland in autumn to fatten on the acorn crop.  Illustrations from this time show that domestic pigs had striped backs - as do wild pigs. Pigs had the reputation of being "the most of perverse animals, requiring the firmest and most vigorous handling. They were indeed the most difficult of domesticated animals to control in medieval times..." It was apparently a very common early ordinance that pigs should be "rung with iron rings; great pigs should be double rung and small pigs single rung", and there were stiff fines for those who did not and "every inhabitant of the town shall put his hogs and pigs before the herdsman of the town, elected by them". No doubt the swineherd's job was a skilled one.

Swampy places and islands provided a valuable crop of alder or willow for basket making. This crop remained important until the 19th century when cardboard and tin boxes came into use.

Although meat was a very rare part of the diet of the peasantry, most villagers would have kept chickens and perhaps a pig.   We know that sheep kept on the wasteland were in very poor condition and bought low prices both for their meat and wool.   Nethertheless, they would have been essential as the prime source of wool and manure.   Chris Currie has suggested  that each night the sheep may have been corralled together into the Albury Bottom enclosure so that the dung could be more easily collected ⁸.  Alternatively they may have been taken from the heathland to the common fields each evening to allow them to dung.  There is a rather convenient track from Albury Bottom via Clappers to the West End common fields.

Wool was the great cash crop in medieval times and many abbeys built their wealth on it.  It is likely that the Abbey used its extensive heathlands to run large flocks of sheep.  The Chertsey Cartulary tells us that in 1310 the Abbot built a new sheepfold in Chabeworth (Chobham).^{3 1932 p281} 

Industry

It is also possible that Chobham was a craft rather than an agricultural centre.  We don't know whether the village was populated by mixed craftsmen (such as brewers, smiths, coopers, etc) or was a centre for some particular craft.  We know that flax and silk weaving were practised in the village and it may be that Chobham developed as a weaving centre.  A vineyard and mulberry trees were reported as growing on the south side of St Anne's Hill (was Eldebury, or Old Bury Hill). ^{2 p117}

Feudal Land Tenure

The King owns all the land in the Kingdom.  No-one else is allowed to own land but many lease it for a fixed period.  Barons lease land directly from the King and provide military assets to him. In turn, Barons lease their lands to Knights in exchange for direct military service which is offered to the King.  Since Chobham's lands were owned by the Abbey there were no Barons, but some Knights are mentioned.

Villanes were holders of land by an ill-defined tenure. After the Conquest their condition altered and they were burdened with service due to their lord and and from their name we get the terms village and villager.  They probably would not have aspired to own estates or fields; merely strips in the open fields.  One of the services they been required to perform would have been to work on the Abbey's land in Chobham.

Bordars held a bord or cottage with a small parcel of land on condition of performing certain service to the Lord.

Serfs were on the lowest rung of the social ladder and were at the arbitrary disposal of the Lord, except that their lives and limbs were under protection of the law.

   References

1. Shaping Medieval Landscapes.  Tom Williamson. WINDgather Press 2003

2.   Chertsey Abbey: An Existence of the Past.  Lucy Wheeler. Pub: Wells Gardner, Darton & Co. 1905

3.  Chertsey Cartulary SRS

6. Bisley Bits, Rev'd J Cater, 1892, p72

7. Ibid p23

8. An Archaeological and Historical Survey of Chobham Common Proposed Area of Special Historic Landscape Value (ASHLV), C Currie, 2002.