Upholding tradition

Farmers escaped the embarrassment of being fined by the country’s last remaining manorial government by adhering to rules dating back to medieval times.

Around 15 farmers, aged 30-80, huddled into the side room of The Dovecote Inn for Laxton’s Court Leet on Thursday.

One of by one, they stepped up to the bench to pledge their allegiance to the Queen and to kiss the Bible.

A total of 12 jurors ruled none of the farmers deserved to be punished for any wrong doings on this occasion after they inspected the strips of land in the village’s open fields on November 29, just as generations of jurors have done for around 700 years.

Although three were issued with warnings by the steward, Mr Tim Kelway, of Tallents solicitors at Southwell.

Mr Steven Noble of Town End Farm, Laxton, was warned for ploughing over his limits and not shovelling soil back into plough rivets.

Mr Nick Gent of Ide Farm was also accused of this misdemeanor, and Mr Mark Hennell of Church Farm was warned for under ploughing.

The seven farmers who failed to attend were each fined 2p.

This money and any possible fines is collected by the bailiff, Mr Robert Haigh (54) and split between the court’s coffers and a drinks kitty at the pub.

Laxton is the only example of open field farming in the country.

The medieval approach involves a series of open, unhedged fields, divided into furlongs.

These furlongs are subdivided into parallel strips known as flatts.

Each farmer owns flatts in various furlongs in each field.

The village is surrounded by four, Mill Field, South Field, East Field and West Field, and the crop in each is rotated on an annual basis with one laying fallow each year.

The Crown Estate took over the Laxton estate, which covers around 1,830 acres, in 1981.

Mr Haigh of Ivy House Farm, Laxton, said this year’s was one of the shortest sessions and despite no fines being issued it was still important to keep the tradition going.

He said: “If we don’t uphold the three-field system it will cease. Only by the goodwill of the tenants and the Crown can we carry out the steps of our medieval duty.

“It’s unique. We have people come from all over the world to see the fields,” he said.

The landlord of The Dovecote Inn, Mr David Brown (47) took over the running of the pub only six months ago.

He said: “It’s fairly new to me. This is the first one we have done. I think it adds a bit of value to the pub and it’s a bit of variation for us. It’s really nice.”