ABSTRACT
In 1969, W. Matzat and A. Harris drew attention to an unusual pre-enclosure field pattern which was found in the extreme eastern part of the former county of Yorkshire. Is the form an adaptation to a distinctive physical environment, or did it result from particular social and economic conditions prevailing in the area in the past? This chapter focuses on some of these problems and considers possible explanations. Holderness is a low-lying region to the east of the Yorkshire Wolds, whose characteristically hummocky topography is derived largely from Pleistocene drift deposits. In the case of Holderness, Domesday Book shows that the rather complex pattern of small estates and multiple lordship prevailing in the mid-eleventh century was replaced by a much simpler situation. While a strong case can thus be made for an origin of Holderness regular fields in the late eleventh or early twelfth centuries, it must be emphasised nevertheless that the argument rests entirely upon circumstantial evidence.
