Yeovil's Virtual Museum

Old Orchard

A field within the great manorial East Field

 

Old Orchard (Parcel 962) was a very steep two-acre field on the southern flank of the hill known as The Down.

Old Orchard was one of more than one hundred orchards in Yeovil and its hinterland, where apples were grown chiefly for the production of local cider - a staple of the local diet and often used as part-payment of wages.

At the time of the 1846 Tithe Apportionment Old Orchard (Parcel 962) was owned by Sarah Rose and let to Charles Marsh. Although it had originally been an orchard, by the time of the Tithe Apportionment it was being used as pasture for grazing livestock. It measured 2a 3r 4p.

Old Orchard was bounded on the south by Drang (Parcel 963), on the west by Hather Mead (Parcel 961), on the north by Higher Sleight (Parcel 926) and on the east it was bounded by Spring Close (Parcel 964).

Today the former Old Orchard is occupied by the houses and gardens at the western ends of Woburn Road, Wentworth Road and Marlborough 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 Old Orchard towards centre right.

 

The 1946 aerial survey photograph (somewhat mis-aligned at bottom left) with parcel numbers of 1846 plotted on. By this time, Old Orchard (marked with '962' on this photograph) remains as an open field.

 

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

 

 

As anyone who lives here knows, Yeovil has more hills than Rome but these steep steps (all 64 of 'em) mark the western boundary of what had been Old Orchard (off to the right). Photographed in 2013, looking up towards Meadow Road.

 

The same series of steps seen from Meadow Road. Old Orchard lay off to the left of the steps. Photographed in 2016.