Articles

Donald Davies Articles

Those Were The Days

Cardigan’s Common Gardens (Allotments)
Article 1

Originally Published 19/2/1988

The system of cultivation in this country originated in the era of the Anglo-Saxons and lasted through the centuries to the time of the modern enclosures. It was economically sound, as each person grew sufficient food for his family, rather than for market sale. The method had a number of advantages for the ordinary person; it gaveeach one a fair share in the better and worse land of the locality, it allowed everyone grazing rights on the common pasture, it saved the expense of fencing or hedging, and the humblest had his own land and rights as well asa voice in the agricultural policy of the community.

On this was superimposed the feudal power and legal rights of the lord of the locality. In relation to him, the workers were classed as serfs – bound to the soil. They had to grind their corn at his mill, they had to have his consent before their children could marry and, above all, they owed him field service – that is so many days work on his land during the year and to fight for him should his domain be attacked. This system of tenure with fixed work days held good all through. Free men were few and far between, and each lived with his family in little house of his own, with a strip of ploughed land attached. Beyond this was the common, where every person had the right of pasturing his cow or pig.

With the Norman conquest, William divided the country among his warriors. They in turn built strong castles at strategic points to rule the conquered territory. just as towns grew up around abbeys, so they grew up outside the walls of great castles. Tradesmen settled there in order to sell their goods to the baron and his family and their household of servants and soldiers. Thither flocked all the people from the country around to buy or sell their wares.

Ast the trade of the townsmem increased they often became very wealthy. The barons spent much money on their wars and were forced to borrow from the townsmen. This money was usually loaned if the baron agreed to certain terms, such as protecting the towns trade and the granting of certain rights to the individuals. To raise money to fight wars, kings and barons were willing to sell their rights over towns. The citizens agreed to pay a large sum of money on condition that they should have the right to levy taxes and to hold court themselves.

A writing called a charter was then given by the king to that town, stating that it had the right to to manage its own affairs. Towns that obtained these rights were called free boroughs. The freemen who lived in them were called burgesses. By means of these charters the citizens of free boroughs could defy the attempts of anyone to take away their rights. The towns became like little free states in the heart of the kingdom, each managing its own affairs.

Before the year 1300, the citizens of most of the towns had received the right to manage their own affairs. They also had the right of choosing a head citizen or reeve as he was called at that time. In later years the name was changed to mayor. The affairs of the town were in the hands of a body ofcheif burgesses who met together from time to time to consult each other. There was also the court leet which met yearly or half yearly, which was in the hands of the lord of the manor. The court leet would usually meet twice a year, the first being within one month after easter, and the other one after the feast of st Michael. the mayor or reeve would preside at the meeting of the court leet as a steward. he was empowered to keep the peace, to fine and imprison all doers of misdemeanours, crimes and offences.

Cardigan, being a borough, had its own court leet. Through the centuries the mayorality of the town was in the hands of the most influential families in the district, and these persons also formed the court leet, the council and were freemen of the borough. As freemen they were priveledged to pasture their stock free of charge on the towns common.

This right had been handed down from father to son since time immemorial. The Common was situated outside the town walls, stretching from the Northgate to Penparc and was reputed at one time to have an area of around 2000 acres, but by 1835 the acreage had dwindled to just over 200.

Map showing Cardigan Common circa 1834