The aftermath of Enclosure
The abandonment of the medieval fields and the establishment of the modern pattern of fields which still largely remain for us to see was not the final event in the history of the farmland of the parish. One important feature was the establishment of new farmsteads in the new fields. Due to the careful way the land was allotted on enclosure the larger land-owners were usually able to work their land from their existing farmsteads. Thus Rectory Parm, Granham's Farm, de Freville Farm and The Grange all had their land adjoining the farm buildings. But not everyone was able to have this. The large allotment of land to Caius College in the N.E. of the parish naturally had no farm buildings near it and two other large blocks of land, one allotted to William Headly S.E. of Hinton Way near the A 604 and the other to Henry Headly near Nine Wells on White Hill, also had no farm buildings in or near them. In these three areas new farm houses, barns, stables and stockyards had to be built soon after enclosure by their respective owners. As a result Caius College Farm, Jones' Farm and White Hill Farm all came into existence in the middle of the 19th century,
By the end of the 19th century the general pattern of fields and farms was much as we see them today. The increase in the size of Cambridge and a desire for middle class recreational facilities led to the establishment of the Golf Course on the Gogs in the early years of the present century. In recent years with modern agricultural techniques many of the enclosure hedges have been removed to facilitate the use of modern machinery.
Page last updated October 29th 2009