ridge and furrow
Oxford Dictionary of Geography:
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ridge and furrow
A set of parallel ridges and depressions formed during the period of strip cultivation in the Middle Ages. As the land was ploughed always to the same pattern, the plough then threw up earth to make ridges which often survive in the present landscape. Ridge and furrow landscapes are still clearly visible in the landscape of midland England, and parts of lowland Germany, where they are called Raine, or Anwande.
Oxford Dictionary of Architecture & Landscaping:
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ridge-and-furrow
1. Roof composed of a series of ridges and furrows, e.g. as used by Paxton at the Crystal Palace, London (1851).
2. Pan-tile roof.
Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology:
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ridge and furrow
[MC]
The archaeological manifestation of a system of strip cultivation that was widely used in England during medieval times. Fields (typically two or three in each settlement) were divided into groups of strips (furlongs) that were each ploughed separately (lands) by turning the soil towards the centre. This had the effect of creating raised areas separated by troughs or furrows, the whole having a marked S-shaped form in plan with headlands for turning the plough at either end. When cultivation ceased, the corrugated effect was fossilized in the landscape, especially if the land was put down to grass. Some of the best-preserved ridge and furrow is to be found in the south midland counties of England, especially Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Warwickshire, and Northamptonshire. The width of the ridges preferred seems to vary between regions, while dates for ridge and furrow range from the immediate post-Roman period through to the 17th century ad.
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Copyrights:
Oxford Dictionary of Geography
A Dictionary of Geography. Copyright © Susan Mayhew 1992, 1997, 2004. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Dictionary of Architecture & Landscaping
A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Copyright © 1999, 2006 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
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Mentioned in
rig and furrow
(in archaeology)
run rig
(in archaeology)
open field system
(in archaeology)
Sir Joseph Paxton
(architecture)
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