History Crowfield - a frontier forest settlement's history Elizabethan times I n early Elizabethan times a new official was appointed - the county Woodward, accountable to the exchequer for the management of the forests and under him local yeomen appointed preservators. Sticks could then be gathered on Mondays and Thursdays by worthy poor people.Cutting wood without permission resulted in 24 hours in the stocks Deer cattle and swine were not allowed into the coppiced woods for eight years after cutting and were fenced and ditched to protect them. If it was not for the fact the officials were often corrupt this could have had dire consequences on Crowfield The forest was an important local asset Rights were granted of "firebote" the right to gather dry sticks for fuel, and hosebote and hedgebote for repairing houses and hedges The woods were sources of food .. with nuts and berries , honey and game The right of "pannage" ... the right to graze swine on the acorns and mast of beech ... and the right of "agist" , the same for cows ... were important rights Casual labour was available in the forests from time to time cutting and planking wood as well as building ditches and boundary mounds. In the 1660's to 80's the local oaks (certified as very good quality) were used to build up the navy, and again in Nelson's day. The timber was also used in the reconstruction of Northampton after the great fire there in 1660, and for the building of Blenheim Palace. Work was available in the felling and sawing into planks as well as transporting. Local tradesmen developed based on timber.Carpenters, coppers and wheelwrights all found work and local material for their trades Tanners of leather used the bark from trees and of course this leather was important in the growing shoemaking industry in Northampton and indeed in Crowfield and Syresham. Crowfield common was the other important asset. Villagers were allowed to keep 3 cows and 10 sheep on the common land. Civil War During the civil war, Oxford was a Royalist strong hold, whilst Northampton was Roundhead with Crowfield in the middle of it. In 1643 Cromwell visited Syresham. Prior to that Towcester was a Royalist stronghold and when it fell all the livestock and grain was looted by the returning army. So again Crowfield close to the main road between the two opposing armies was in the middle of a national crisis. A remarkable immigration took place into Syresham between 1524 (pop 216) and 1670 (pop 530). The growing population of London needed meat and much land was converted from arable land to sheep inclosures, displacing ploughmen and other labourers. With no village squire, benefits of the forest and the common land, the opportunity for casual work, and the proximity to major thoroughfares, the area was attractive.