“The Promised Land”: Exploring Soulton’s Field Names

‘Where in the purlieus of this forest stands
A sheep-cote fenced’

A Literary Landscape and its Local Roots

 

While academic records play a crucial role in documenting the past, sometimes vital pieces of history are preserved not in formal citations, but in the living memory of communities.

Modern anthropologists understand this and have shown this to other branches of scholarship, for example we know that indigenous peoples, through oral traditions and deep connection to their lands, have often held the key to understanding events lost to conventional historical accounts. For instance, the wrecks of Franklin’s ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, remained a mystery for over a century until Inuit oral histories guided searchers to their location.

This example underscore the power of intangible cultural memory, passed down orally and through practice, which can also find expression in the names bestowed upon land and things. Field names, in particular, are treasure troves of this local history.

At Soulton Hall, a site with both historical depth and a fascinating literary connection to Thomas Lodge and hence/also to Shakespeare, we have several intriguing examples we’d like to examine. This literary context makes the exploration of these names even more compelling. Similarly, consider some of these names at Soulton “Dove House Garden,” “Hangman Meadow,” “Lady Meadow,” and “The Promised Land.”

These names connect us to generations past, offering glimpses into their lives and beliefs of those who have come before us in this landscape.

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In this blog, we make public the land parcels here as shown on early C19th maps and pick out a few examples.

Not surprisingly for a manor with links to the Reformation and the legacy of Old Sir Rowland Hill, we draw your attention to a part of the landscape at the very north of the farm which has a reference to scripture: three fields are collectively known as The Promised Land.

This land is rich in peat soil, which was drained in the mid-20th century as public policy promoted domestic food production in the UK after the war, part of a welfare state which wanted to combat want and address public health issues associated with poor nutrition, as well as respond to issues of regional inequality. More recently, the vital role of peat in climate change and biodiversity has dramatically altered the context surrounding the management of this area of land. Where previously drainage was encouraged to maximize agricultural output, now there’s a growing movement towards rewetting and restoring peatlands. This shift reflects a growing awareness of the long-term environmental costs of peat extraction and drainage, and a recognition of the importance of preserving these valuable ecosystems. For instance, some projects are exploring blocking drainage ditches and reintroducing native peatland vegetation to help restore the natural water table and encourage peat formation.

Another intriguing field name at Soulton is Dove House Garden, a title that evokes a lost feature: the dovecote. While the dovecote itself no longer stands, its memory persists in the name, offering a glimpse into the past practices and status symbols. It’s understood that the Soulton dovecote was likely octagonal in shape, a design reminiscent of the one at Whitehall in Shrewsbury. Indeed, the Soulton dovecote is thought to have served as inspiration for the Whitehall example. The name “Dove House Garden” also emphasizes the garden-like nature of the area, which is outside the Epidaurus Court (and attested by 2024 Dig Ventures excavations), underlining how the way you experience Soulton has changed in terms of the dominant public axis is, and underlining the former important of lost avenue and the area known as Rabbit Yard.

This latter name, “Rabbit Yard,” with its clear reference to ‘Yard’ confirms the traffic and service nature of that area in former times which currently reads as a paddock, tucked away.

The map also reveals the location of Cherry Orchard, situated south of the Well of Catharsis and south and east of the main manor complex. This name is particularly evocative due to its literary associations. It’s  possible to hold that this orchard of Old Sir Rowland’s estate, which, in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, becomes the orchard of Oliver is the location of the dispute between Orlando and Oliver that opens Act I, Scene I, described as taking place in “Oliver’s orchard. The presence of a “Cherry Orchard” at Soulton, therefore connects the physical landscape to the world of Shakespearean drama and suggesting that the seeds of literary inspiration may have been sown in the fertile ground of Shropshire.

ACT I
SCENE I. Orchard of Oliver’s house.
….
OLIVER
Know you where your are, sir?
ORLANDO
O, sir, very well; here in your orchard.
OLIVER
Know you before whom, sir?
ORLANDO
Ay, better than him I am before knows me.

The presence of Big Parks, Further Parks, and Lesser Parks on the map strongly suggests that these areas were once emparked for the keeping of deer. The term “park” in this context refers not to public recreation grounds as we understand them today, but to enclosed areas specifically designated for hunting and the management of deer. The term “park” in this context refers not to public recreation grounds as we may understand them today, but to enclosed areas specifically designated for hunting and the management of deer. These parks, likely established by previous owners of Soulton Hall, would have served both as a source of food and as a symbol of status and wealth, demonstrating the owner’s right to hunt and control access to these privileged areas. This evidence of emparkment further emphasizes the historical significance of Soulton Hall, highlighting its role as a substantial estate with the resources and influence to manage such extensive areas for hunting and leisure.

The presence of these “Big Parks,” “Further Parks,” and “Lesser Parks,” hinting at a history of deer parks and hunting, further connects Soulton’s landscape to the world of As You Like It. After all, the Forest of Arden is a place where deer are hunted, a point underscored by Duke Senior’s line, “Come, shall we go and kill us venison?” which neatly summarizes the landscape evoked by these park names. And, much like the “brook that brawls along this wood” in the play, the Soulton Brook neatly tracks the fringe of Soulton Wood in this area, further reinforcing the sense of a shared landscape between Shakespeare’s Arden and the Shropshire countryside.

?The field name Dogmoor strongly suggests a few possibilities, all related to the characteristics of the land. “More” is an old English word for a marsh or bog, so “Dogmore” likely indicates a marshy or wet area where dogs were used for for hunting. Imagine the scene: in the 1500s hunting dogs splashing through the boggy ground, flushing out game birds or perhaps even larger quarry.

The field name Little Hawk Field initially evokes images of falconry, a popular medieval and early modern pastime. However, our understanding suggests a different origin. The presence of a short, cliff-like formation in this area, echoing the more dramatic cliffs at Hawkstone beyond, points to a more likely interpretation: Little Hakestone Field.

While falconry was undoubtedly important in this region, this name draws our attention to a much-prized feature of Renaissance landscapes: inland cliffs. These natural formations, like those at Hawkstone, were highly valued for their aesthetic appeal and their ability to evoke the grandeur of classical landscapes. Indeed, the presence of such a feature at Soulton,, connects the site to the broader appreciation for dramatic natural scenery that characterized the Renaissance. The connection to the cliffs at Epidaurus, a site renowned in the classical world, further reinforces this idea that Old Sir Rowland was seeking to make this refence in the landsape gardening he did here.#

The name Lady Meadow suggests that this area, located upstream of the castle mound and now somewhat remote from the main manor complex, was once a garden. This separation reflects a significant shift in the layout and function of Soulton Hall. The castle mound, occupied from the 12th to the early 15th centuries, was the heart of the estate during that period. The gardens associated with this early complex would have been nearby and intimately connected to the domestic life of the castle. However, with the establishment of the new base court around 1410, the focus of domestic activity shifted, and the main residential buildings moved to a new location. “Lady Meadow,” though now distant from the principal manor buildings, likely remained as a garden area, perhaps retaining a special status or association with the “lady” of the house. The name itself acts as a memory, preserving the trace of this earlier garden and its connection to the castle mound era, even as the estate’s layout evolved and the domestic center moved. It’s a poignant reminder of how landscapes change over time, and how names can act as enduring markers of past uses and associations.

The field name Pieces is actually be quite intriguing. While it might initially suggest a field divided into smaller sections, its meaning is often more nuanced and rooted in historical land use practices. “Pieces” often points to a field that was once part of a larger, common field system.

Others of the field names show who had cottages and holdings on that land then or before, like Massey, Clay, Brooms. Some of these families were recorded as in the land in the 1550s the time of Thomas Lodge Jr and Old Sir Rowland, and their holdings would have been like what is bought from Corin by Celia and Rosalind in As You Like It:

ROSALIND
I pray thee, if it stand with honesty,
Buy thou the cottage, pasture and the flock,
And thou shalt have to pay for it of us.

CELIA
And we will mend thy wages. I like this place.
And willingly could waste my time in it.

And you can see this sort of identity in a landscape also in Lode’s Rosalynde (1590):

Aliena resolved there to set up her rest,[ and by the help of Corydon swept[2] a bargain with his landlord, and so became mistress of the farm and the flock, herself putting on the attire of a shepherdess, and Ganymede of a young swain: every day leading forth her flocks, with such delight, that she held her exile happy, and thought no content to the bliss of a country cottage. Leaving her thus famous amongst the shepherds of Arden