Pounds and Pinfolds of Cumbria by Nigel Mills, £12.99
NIGEL Mills, spent hours poring over old Cumbrian maps and manorial records as part of his 10-year research which has resulted in this valuable addition to the county's historical canon.
Nowadays we come across references such features in names of old streets and yards, most of us unaware of the origins of the names 'pound' and 'pinfold'; but they were once an important part of rural life, helping to control stray livestock.
Through his research, Mr Mills has identified 160 pounds and pinfolds - he says the names are interchangeable - in Cumbria, although he acknowledges there were probably many more in their heyday.
Stray sheep found grazing illegally were confined inside these stone structures - which could be round or rectangular - until the owner paid a fine imposed by the local court.
Mr Hills argues in his thorough account that for hill-farmers, the structures were 'indispensable for ensuring community harmony'.
A number of those that survive are protected by the Listed and Conservation Act 1990 - such as the one at Field Broughton.
Mr Mills has photographed the surviving pinfolds and many of the images are reproduced in the book.
ALLAN TUNNINGLEY
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