Why Old Maps Matter in the Dales

Walk through any dale and you are walking through layers of history. The drystone walls, the isolated field barns, the winding lanes – they did not appear all at once. Old maps, particularly tithe maps and enclosure awards, let you peel back those layers. For anyone interested in rural life and country crafts, from hedge laying to walling, reading these documents is a practical skill. It helps you understand why a hedge stops mid-field, or why a footpath seems to lead nowhere. This guide compares tithe maps, enclosure awards, and modern mapped paths.

Tithe Maps: A Snapshot of the 1840s

Tithe maps were produced following the Tithe Commutation Act of 1836. In the dales, most were drawn in the 1840s. They show every field, wood, and building, along with a schedule naming owners, occupiers, and field names. Three copies were made, but the parish copy is often the most useful.

Look closely at the hedges and walls. Tithe maps usually show hedges as dotted or hatched lines, and stone walls as solid double lines. Field names are a gift: Long Close, Calf Croft, Hunger Hills. They hint at use and quality. Compare a tithe map with a modern map. You may find that a hedge line shown in 1840 has vanished, leaving a single field where once there were three. Or a farmstead marked then is now just a hump in the grass.

Enclosure Awards: New Walls and Straight Lines

Enclosure awards are different. They resulted from Acts of Parliament, mainly between 1750 and 1850, though some dales enclosures were earlier by agreement. An award includes a map and a schedule listing new allotments. Before enclosure, many dales had open fields and common land. After, you see straight-sided fields, new roads, and miles of drystone walls.

On an enclosure map, new boundaries are often rigidly straight, following surveyors' lines. Older boundaries – those predating the award – tend to curve and wiggle. Remember: straight lines are usually younger than curved ones. In the dales, enclosure walls are often on the higher ground, while older hedges survive on lower, wetter land. If you are laying a hedge or repairing a wall, knowing which is which helps you match traditional craft techniques to the right period.

Modern Paths and Survey Map Comparisons

Modern survey maps show public rights of way, walls, fences, and buildings. They are your anchor to the present. But they are not perfect. A footpath may run through what looks like an open field. Check an old tithe or enclosure map: that path probably followed a hedge or wall that has since been removed. The path's line – often slightly curved – records the ghost of that boundary.

Practical tip: take a modern survey map, a tithe map, and an enclosure award for the same area. Overlay them digitally if you can, or use tracing paper. Note where paths cross old boundaries. In the dales, many bridleways and footpaths were originally field access tracks, not ancient highways. Their width and route tell you about farm routines – leading to a mistal, a hay meadow, or a lead mine.

Reading Hedge Lines and Boundaries

Hedge lines are the most revealing feature. On old maps, a hedge is a living boundary. On modern maps, it may be gone. But you can spot its ghost. Look for a change in grass colour, a slight ridge, or a line of mature trees. In the dales, hedges are less common than walls on high ground, but they survive in lower valleys. A hedge that suddenly stops and becomes a wall often marks an old parish boundary or a change of ownership.

• Curved hedges – often medieval or early modern, following ridge and furrow or natural drainage.
• Straight hedges – usually enclosure period, planted in rows.
• Isolated thorn bushes – remnants of a lost hedge line.
• Gaps with stone piles – where a wall once stood, later removed.

When you walk, carry a pocket magnifier and a notebook. Sketch the hedge line you see and compare it with the old map. This is how country craftspeople have always read the land – not just for work, but for understanding.

Farmsteads and Field Barns

Old maps show farmsteads in detail: the farmhouse, barn, mistal (cow house), and cart shed. Tithe maps often label them. Enclosure awards may show new farmsteads built on allotments, with straight access roads. Compare with modern maps. Many field barns – those lonely stone buildings in the dales – are now roofless. But on a tithe map, they are marked and named. You can see which fields they served. A barn in the middle of a field suggests a time before mechanised haymaking, when cattle were overwintered away from the main farm.

Look at the shape and orientation. A barn with its long axis into the prevailing wind is a dales tradition. A farmstead with a loose courtyard is older than one with a linear plan. These details matter to anyone restoring a building or laying a traditional hedge. They tell you what was there before, and what crafts were used.

Reading old maps is not just an academic exercise. It is a way to connect with the working landscape. Next time you walk a dale path, take an old map with you. You will see walls that no longer stand, hedges that have vanished, and farms that have changed. And you will understand the countryside – and its crafts – a little better.