Early 19th century Agent's folding Map - South Fields

This undated map is kept in the N.R.O. under reference G4266.  Notable is the absence of both a Hill Railway (dismantled after 1805 but its line is shown in pink below) and a mainline railway (for which land was being reserved in 1833).  Notable also is the modest extent of the stone quarry (Q) to the east of the canal tunnel mouth (said to have been opened before 1820).  These points allow the date when this map was drawn to be determined as c.1820.  The map was probably carried by the notorious Grafton agent, John Roper, and used as a daily reference.

     Features are as follows:
1.  The field that was once a warren (Coneygres) had not been subdivided into allotments.
2.  The railway (horse railway) from the quarry running down to the west edge of the canal was in place.
3.  The Stoke Road (toll road) was widened at the intersection with Knock lane and there were a number of modest paddocks of land nearby.  These were a residue of the accommodation needed for the horses powering the Stoke-Bruerne to Blisworth hill railway the line of which is indicated by the pink line added to the map.  The oval shaped feature near the road junction must have been the spoils heap on which a vent chimney was built (or later built).
4.  Many fields were marked up with dots to convey that they were wooded and labelled "In Hand", meaning that the Duke was holding land that was not rented to anyone.  In medieval times there were rights granted to villagers to crop the woods for fence timber and firewood from an extensive 'common land'.  One of these fields, marked elsewhere as Berry Hill, adjacent to the Stoke Road, was intersected by a linear feature that was certain to be a vestige of the hill railway.  It seems there were more small paddocks nearby.
5.  The line of the hill railway does appear to pass behind a farm cluster, with its adjacent field labelled 'Home Close'.  Blisworth Hill farm was therefore established by this time, in the hands of a Samuel Wilson.  The farm was established before the inclosure award (1815) because Grafton rental records have Mr. Wilson as tenant from 1806 to c.1834.  The alignment of the railway is discussed in the 'Revised Tunnel Story' available on this website.
6.  Roads were left uncoloured, white, and this applied to the extension of Knock Lane to the west (see Saltway), joining Nunn Lane which was also classed as a  common road, at that time, as far as the division in the streams. It seems the Duke wanted to encourage horse owners, not associated with any particular farm, to rent watered accommodation for their horses, even though the intense call upon numbers of horses ceased in 1805 when the hill railway was taken up.