Hugging the edges of a central village green, upon which stands a market cross and another oddity: the barter table (a large hunk of sandstone around which, well, people bartered), Osmotherley is the archetypal North York Moors village. So much so, it still contains a peculiarity, one which nearly all villages of the medieval era would possess: a pinfold or pound.
Here, at the north end of the village, this small square enclosure constructed of tooled, coursed sandstone with quoining and triangular coping, and featuring a single narrow entrance to the south, though largely hidden by seasonal fauna, was originally meant to temporarily hold stray cattle, pigs, geese or other domestic livestock.
The stray animals were picked up by the resident ‘pinder’ (the person in charge of the pinfold who was appointed by the lord of the manor and later by the parish) if found wandering the land following escape from their own owners’ enclosures and therefore infringing the rights of common grazing. They would be herded into the stone structure to be retained until their owner came to retrieve them, in return of a payment or fine (paine) for their release.
During their tenure under the pinder’s care, the animals were kept well fed and watered whilst he went out in search of the money due to see them gone and in hopes of recuperating fines for any damage caused by the roaming animals. If the owner failed to claim his flock, they would then be taken to the local market and sold on.
Though many villages of medieval origin had their own pinfold, few well-preserved examples survive yet this structure is much later than its usual contemporaries, dating seemingly from the 18th century in the main, though with possible earlier origins.
This example is now Grade II listed owing to its relatively high-quality stonework and good condition.
Books by Dr Emma Wells
