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Pound (village)
Encyclopedia
The Village pound was a feature of most British
medieval villages.
A high walled and lockable structure it served several purposes; the most common use was to hold stray sheep, pigs and cattle until they were claimed by the owners, usually for the payment of a fine or levy. The pound could be as small as 225 square feet (20.9 m²) or as big as half an acre
and may be circular or square. Early pounds had just briar hedges but most were built in stone or brick making them more stock-proof.
The village pound was also used as an early form of gaol or lock-up to hold petty criminals such as rustlers, thieves and vagabonds until they could be dealt with by the local sheriff or magistrate. The pound was often associated with the village stocks
as a place of public humiliation and punishment.
Most pounds have fallen into decay over the centuries and been dismantled, although some have been preserved in various states of repair. A well preserved pound can be found in Northfield, Birmingham. Alfrick Pound
is a village in Worcestershire
with a well preserved village pound. There is also one preserved in London in Totteridge
Village. Another preserved in Farmington, NH of the US.
The Sussex
County Magazine in 1930 said
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
medieval villages.
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
and may be circular or square. Early pounds had just briar hedges but most were built in stone or brick making them more stock-proof.
The village pound was also used as an early form of gaol or lock-up to hold petty criminals such as rustlers, thieves and vagabonds until they could be dealt with by the local sheriff or magistrate. The pound was often associated with the village stocks
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
as a place of public humiliation and punishment.
Most pounds have fallen into decay over the centuries and been dismantled, although some have been preserved in various states of repair. A well preserved pound can be found in Northfield, Birmingham. Alfrick Pound
Alfrick Pound
Alfrick Pound is a small village in the county of Worcestershire, England, in the United Kingdom.- Location :Alfrick Pound village is located on the edge of the Malvern Hills area, approximately ten miles west of Worcester near the Suckley Hills and is set in a very rural area.- History and...
is a village in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
with a well preserved village pound. There is also one preserved in London in Totteridge
Totteridge
Totteridge is an area of the London Borough of Barnet in north London, England. It is a mixture of suburban development and open land situated 8.20 miles north north-west of Charing Cross....
Village. Another preserved in Farmington, NH of the US.
The Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
County Magazine in 1930 said
"Nearly every village once had its pound for stray cattle, pigs, geese, etc. to be driven into and there kept at the expense of the owner, till such time as he should pay the fine (the amount claimed by the person on whose land they had strayed, for damage done), and the fee to the pound keeper, man or sometimes woman, for feeding and watering the same.
If not claimed in three weeks, the animals were driven to the nearest market and sold, the proceeds going to the impounder and pound-keeper. An ingenious form of receipt was sometimes used. The person who found the animals on his land cut a stick and made notches, one for every beast, and then split the stick down the centre of the notches so that half each notch appeared on each stick; one half he kept, the other he gave to the pound-keeper.
When the owner came to redeem his property and had paid for the damage done, the impounder gave him his half stick. He took this to the pound-keeper, and if the two pieces tallied, it proved he had paid and his beast was freed. Hence the word tally-stick and the pound-keeper being referred to as the tallymanTallymanA tallyman is an individual who keeps a numerical record with tally marks, historically often on tally sticks.-Vote counter:In Ireland, it is common for political parties to provide private observers when ballot boxes are opened...
"
See also
- Pinfold
PinfoldPinfold, in Medieval Britain, is an area where stray animals were rounded up if their owners failed to properly supervise their use of common grazing land...
another word for a pound from the North of England- Village lock-up
Village lock-upVillage lock-ups are historic buildings that were used for the temporary detention of people in rural parts of England and Wales. They were often used for the confinement of drunks who were usually released the next day or to hold people being brought before the local magistrate. A typical village...
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