Notes on Nathaniel Fuller's Map of Rookery Farm

The photocopy which I have of the map (which I take is the same size as the original measures 15 inches (38 cm) by 22.5 inches (57 cm).
North is towards the bottom of the map.
The approximate position of the current reserve is marked in blue.
The measurements on the map, for example 5-3-38, are in acres, roods and poles.
A pole can be a unit of linear measurement equal to about 5.5 yards (5 metres) and apparently is named after the stick used by a ploughman to control his team of oxen whilst standing at the plough itself. It is also known as a rod or perch and appears not to have been a set length in all parts of the country.
However a square pole is the unit of measurement use for area. It is equal to 30.25 square yards and is also referred to as a pole rather than square pole as in the case on the map.
A rood is equal to 40 square poles.
An acre is equal to 4 roods

Key	Legend on map	Notes
1	the horse pitle 3-2-14.	"Pitle" (or pightle) is a small enclosure or field. Looks like it was used for horses so presumably was grazing land.
2	the Upper Stack Close 5-3-38.	"Stack" may refer to the storage of hay and "Close" is an enclosed field.
3	the Stack Close 5-0-26.
4	the Newland Close 10-3-13.	Interesting as the name suggest the land may only have been farmland in relatively recent times when the field was named.
5	the Long Close 7-0-4.
6	the Molhill Close 5-2-22.	There is still much mole activity in evidence on the reserve so possibly a long-existing mole population here!
7	the Church meddowe 11-0-24.	Although the name is in the singular the size shows that it refers to the fields that lie to the north-east and south-east which do not contain any markings. The surviving bit of this meadow (marked within the blue line), now called First Church Meadow, is the most interesting on the reserve. I find the position of the hedges inside this area particularly intriguing as it suggests to me the corner of perhaps a much larger field (look at the hedgerow marked along the road - could this have been the long edge of just one field in the past with the north-eastern corner lying in Church Meddowe? The position of the hedgerow (the one closest and parallel to the most north-easterly current hedgerow shown in blue) no longer exists but has been detected by a diviner of notable repute (a University historian, no less!) but I was not present to witness this. However there is a notable pattern in the distribution of both Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula) and Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) as both are found only to north-west of where that particular hedgerow would have been. Could this be explained by a different management regime in earlier times?
8	the home Close 8-2-00.	Again another area that also includes the two unmarked fields to the north-east and south-east
9	the haye house peese 2-0-14.	A small hay house has been drawn on the map in this long field.
10	Great Cutlings 8-2-38.	The name "Cutlings" is obscure. The OED gives three possible meanings 1. A name for coarse oatmeal (1688) 2. A small piece cut off as in a plant cutting (1834) 3. The occupation of a person involved in making cutlery (1645). None of these seem to fit so it could be just a name. However see note 12.
11	Little Cutlings 3-2-1
12	Cutlings horse Pitle 2-0-4.	Could this refer to a use rather than a name e.g. cutlings or horse pitle? (as is written on the key below (see 17). If so then cutlings might be something to do with a crop that is cut i.e. hay (just my speculation, though)!
13	Letheringham manno.	These rather cryptic shortened words are written in a different coloured ink (brown) and direction as to the other map legends which are in black. Letheringham is a nearby parish (about 2 miles away) and there appears to have been a priory there with connections to the adjacent parish of Charsfield. Could this be the connection with the name Church meddowe? (See this link to British History Online (in a separate window))
14	Orchard.	This is still in use as an orchard today!
15	The waye from monewden to Otley.	Written on the map along the road itself.
16	Drawing of a set of dividers	The scale below the dividers shows thirty seven units each of which is a tenth of an inch.
17	the contents of the several Peices of land within this Platt     Acres Roods poles The Cituations 00- 3- 12 Orchard 00- 2- 11 the home Close 08- 2- 00 the Church Meddowe 11- 0- 24 Little Cutlings 03- 2- 01 Great Cutlings 08- 2- 38 Cutlings or horse pitle 02- 0- 04 the haye house peese 02- 0- 14 the molhill Close 05- 2- 22 the newland Close 10- 3- 13 the long Close 07- 0- 04 the horse pitle 03- 2- 14 the Stack Close 05- 0- 26 the Upper Stack Close 05- 3- 28       In the whole 75- 2- 15	1. Note here how the name "Cutlings or horse pitle" has an extra or as opposed to that on the map (see 12 above) 2. The maths here seems a bit uncertain!! Looking at the "Acres" column of figures first - as there are 75 acres then a 6 must have been carried across from the roods column. Now the "Roods" column - as 2 roods have been entered "in the whole" total and as above we know that 6 acres were carried across then there must have been 2 + 6 x 4 (4 is the number of roods in an acre) = 26 roods altogether. And now the "poles" - to make 26 roods above then an amount equal to 5 roods must have been carried across from the poles column The poles column adds up to 211 in total. As 15 is written in the "In the whole" total and 5 have been carried across then this should be 15 + (5 x 40 (40 poles in a rood)) = 215!!! Two explanations come mind. Firstly the Upper Stack Close is written as 5-3-38 on the map but only 5-3-28 in the key. If we assume that the actual figure on the map is correct than this would give 221 poles. The second explanation is that with a figure of 221 with 15 actually remaining in the total then altogether 206 poles were converted to the 5 roods - As 5 roods should in fact be 200 poles could the last figure 6 have been confused with a 0??? Again this is pure speculation!!

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