Yeovil's Virtual Museum

Higher loydes

A field within the great manorial East Field and part of Brickyard Farm

 

Higher Loydes (Parcel 950) was an L-shaped field in the great medieval East Field of Kingston Manor. The upper part of the 'L' ran east as a wide access to Lower Loydes (Parcel 931) while the lower part ran south along the eastern side of Brickyard Lane (today's St Michael's Avenue) from the bend in the road, now the junction with St John's Road as far as the small field access track shown on the maps below (this is now a small private road leading to the back of The Manse off St John's Road). The field fell slowly to the south and along its southern edge was a small tributary of Lyde stream.

While Higher Loydes (Parcel 950), together with Higher Lyde (Parcel 951) and Lower Lyde (Parcel 952), are not shown on Philip Byles map of Lyde of 1653 it is most likely that, being immediately to the east, they were included within the Domesday Manor of Lyde and may have been instrumental in the original name since one of the two tributaries at the head of Lyde stream (now piped underground) lay at the junction of the three fields. It is also probable that the three fields were originally one larger manorial sub-field.

At the time of the 1846 Tithe Apportionment Higher Loydes (and, indeed, Lower Loydes) was owned by Henry Penny and rented to James Tucker. Measuring 5a 0r 6p, it was used as arable for growing crops.

It was bounded on the west by Brickyard Lane, on the north by Spring Close (Parcel 947) and Buckler's Mead (Parcel 932), on the east by Lower Loydes (Parcel 931) and to the south by Higher Lyde (Parcel 951) and Lower Lyde (Parcel 952).

The 1886 Ordnance Survey (see below) shows that Higher Loydes was, at this time, the location of Brickyard Farm. The extent of the farm is unknown, but Kelly's Directory of 1919 noted that Henry Darke was the farmer. Unfortunately I can find no further references to Brickyard Farm.

By the time of the 1946 aerial photograph seen below, that part running alongside St Michael's Avenue was being built on while the extension running east had been absorbed into Higher Lyde and Lower Lyde and remained fields at this time. Today the St Michael's Avenue section is fully built up and that part running east is occupied by the western end of Northbrook Road and St John's Road.

For details on historic land measurement (ie acres, roods and perches) click here.

 

This map, based on the descriptions in the 1589 Terrier and the 1846 Tithe Map of Yeovil shows the approximate boundaries of the Manors of Kingston and Hendford as well as the manorial three-field system used in Kingston.

 

A map of the great Medieval East Field of Kingston Manor showing conjectured locations of several fields based on descriptions in the 1589 Terrier.

 

Drawn from the 1846 Tithe Map with field names added from the 1846 Tithe Apportionment, with Higher Loydes (Parcel 950) at top left.

 

The 1886 Ordnance Survey showing the location of Brickyard Farm.

 

The 1946 aerial survey photograph (somewhat mis-aligned at bottom left) with parcel numbers of 1846 plotted on.

 

The 1843 Tithe Map overlaid onto a modern map of the area.