Uttoxeter Online Magazine

The main areas of Anglo-Saxon settlements were already established by the late 6th century. The manors of pre conquest land owners were substantial and, with the inclusion of numerous appendages, lay mostly along river valleys and fertile plains. The smaller manors were settled later and, in general, held by lesser men.

To the north of the county the large areas of waste land and moorland supported a sparse population and even as the land became more forgiving as it reached the lower reaches of the Dove and the Churnet the population was no more than 1.6 people per acre.

The conclusions drawn from the Domesday survey indicate the gathering of groups in hamlets and villages that supported a basic system of agriculture. Areas between villages were largely unoccupied except where practical demands necessitated such things as the removal of timber or the operation of a water mill.

The shortage of arable land and meadows restricted the ambition of villager and serf alike, the lord of the manor generally controlling both labour and expansion.

What land was available was often shared on a rotation basis or leased to tenants on an annual return. Bringing more land into use and so improving ones lot involved the devious art of assarting. This usually involved the clearance of fringe woodland which could be turned into meadow-land. In practical terms the idea was sound, especially if the lord of the manor was conspicuous by his absence.

In reality it was fraught with danger because woodland represented great value and was more likely to be expanded than depleted. Uttoxeter, standing on the fringe of both the forest of Lyme and the forest of Needwood stood a far better chance of success than places like Cannock which was, literally surrounded by woodland.

Assarting tended to be spasmodic up to the 12th century because of the penalties imposed if caught but became more acceptable as the need for agricultural expansion became more apparent. Such expansion was hardly likely to effect the great forests that covered much of England at the time.

The acceptance of land clearance paved the way for expansion of agriculture, the growth of associated trades, the increase in population and the general expansion of commerce.

We are unable to put a date to Uttoxeter's land clearance and field system but we do know that in addition to the Heath there was a number of arable fields and meadows set aside for common use. The use of these lands was often the cause of friction and any additional lands that were fenced off could lead to unrest.

The manorial fields referred to by Redfern and Torrance that supported the local field culture were the Botham field [Bottom field which is thought to have covered the land between Slade Lane and the Heath towards Tean Brook, Bromshulfe [Bramshall] field between Smithfield Road and Kiddestich and the Wood-field which stretched from the bottom of Bridge Street towards the High Wood. Additionally there were three large meadows referred to as, Great Broad Meadow, Little Broad Meadow and Northwood Meadow. In general the meadows were used for grazing and for the fodder grown to sustain cattle and sheep throughout the winter, whist the fields were given over to arable crops.

The fields remained under the ownership of the lord of the manor who leased strips of land of about one acre to a number of tenants on an annual basis. The Manor Courts decided how the land was distributed and was under the control of a jury of twelve elders who ensured fair play or amended the rules to suit the circumstances. Conflict on such matters as trespass or encroachment were common practice but a strict record, kept by the Lords steward, maintained a system of development and the passing down of land within a family and, when necessary, the introduction of new tenants and increased rents to add to his Lordship's coffers.

The enterprise of the field system encouraged the growth of villages that were quickly becoming small towns and remained in place well into the post medieval period.

During the 13th century the granting of charters allowing the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair proliferated as the demands of local trade for the skills and wares of craftsmen increased.

The granting of the Uttoxeter charter is surrounded by a degree of confusion over dates and interpretation. Francis Redfern appears to omit one charter and relies heavily on a copy of a later manuscript that he felt was the work of Peter Lightfoot. Torrance rightly points to the different writing styles and suspect interpretation of the Latin original. The fact remains that the original documents were held by the Duchy of Lancaster and used by Sir Oswald Moseley in his History of Tutbury. It is the Moseley interpretation that we must now rely on.

To make matters worse, Torrance, usually so accurate, makes a rare mistake with the dates thus placing the sequence of events in the wrong order.

With the benefit of hindsight the sequence is as follows:

The Royal manor of Uttoxeter passes to the Ferrers family who become great landowners with estates throughout the country but mainly in the midlands.

December 14th 1251. Henry 111 grants the charter pertaining to Uttoxeter to William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby.

August 15th 1252. William presents the charter to Uttoxeter.

It appears that William requested the charter from the King prior to granting the same to Uttoxeter, thus changing the normal procedure in which the King confirms a charter already given.

The fact that another charter, dated 1308, exists should not cause concern. This charter, granted by Edward 11 to Thomas of Lancaster, is a confirmation to Thomas that all grants previously made to the Ferrers were now passed to Lancaster.

The house of Lancaster, which succeeded the Ferrers, became the most powerful landowners in the country. Tutbury became their principle seat as their bid for the throne reached fruition. Its influence on Uttoxeter and its environs was to remain for many centuries.

Extract from Chapter 4 of 'The Story of Uttoxeter' by local author Alan Gibson