The Vile is the local name for the area of the Rhossili headland within the dry-stone walls that separate it from the common land. The name “Vile” or “Viel” is thought to originate from “gefilde”, the Old English word for field. The Vile has been recognised as one of the few remaining examples of a medieval open-field system of agriculture. Evidence suggests that the fields contained long thin strips, of approximately 1.5 acres, that would have been separated by low balks or “land shares” (some of which have since been re-instated by the National Trust). These strips would have been ideal for ploughing using oxen. The term “stubborn as an ox” was coined due to the difficulty of working with these beasts of burden, and a long narrow strip would have reduced the need to turn them. The strips were farmed by local farmers and after harvesting, the low balks would have facilitated grazing across the open-field system. Many of the fields of The Vile are now owned by the National Trust.
Along with our amazing team of volunteers, we have been working hard to conserve the heritage of the medieval open field system, establish traditional hay meadows and plant crops that support wildlife. With huge changes within the National Trust Gower rangers’ team this year, it was “all hands to the pumps”. Thankfully, those hands proved to have amazingly green fingers. The management of the crop planning and planting fell to Alison Probert, who engaged two local agricultural contractors to prepare the land and plant the seeds as outlined in the crop plan shown below.
Different agricultural methods and planting times were required for the different crops. For example, the small seeds within the “pollinator mix” (including poppies and corncockles) needed to be lightly harrowed, with a thin covering of soil, then rolled for a firm finish. The wheat-rye hybrid Triticale, included in the “winter bird feed mix” required drilling to 2-3cm. Crop rotation is used on the Vile and this year a cover crop was planted in Furzeyland. Cover crops are used to prevent soil erosion and where legumes such as clovers are selected as the cover crop, they will also add nitrogen to the soil. Planting on the Vile took place between April and May – with some delays due to wet weather. Thanks to Ali and the contractors – the fields were ploughed and the seed scattered in time. The long hot and dry periods in early summer were a huge cause for concern: we waited, we hoped, we did rain dances each morning and then we celebrated! The Vile has been resplendent, with an array of glorious colours, in addition to the yellows and golds of the sunflowers.
The meadows have been celebrated by everyone who was tempted to veer off the beaten track leading to Worm’s Head. The reward for venturing along the meadow paths was a visually stunning feast. To start with, the meadow explorers were greeted by the pulsating purple of the knapweeds that was predominant in the now well-established hay meadows. On non-windy days, these meadows swarmed with pollinators such as bumblebees, butterflies, beetles and the six – (or 5) – spot burnet moths. This day-flying moth particularly thrives on knapweed nectar, and its caterpillars feed on the “eggs and bacon” of the hay meadows, otherwise known as birds-foot trefoil.
Beyond the traditional hay meadows, the intrepid explorers were delighted by the pictorial meadows that had been seeded with the cornfield annuals. Here, the reds and pinks of the field poppies, clovers and corncockles complemented the blues of the cornflowers and the golden yellows of the birds-foot trefoil and corn marigolds. Further afield, the barley and winter birdseed mix did not present such a pretty picture for our eyes to feast upon, however, these crops will offer a sumptuous supper for the migrating birds and those that over-winter on our shores.
The value of the fields on the Vile is immeasurable. Not only do they provide habitat and food for our biodiverse wildlife, but the seeds of the hay meadows are used to develop more meadows, the hay provides food for local livestock and the fields offer grazing at appropriate times in the year. Beauty, food and wildlife-friendly farming in this most precious place.
Geraldine Ferguson
Volunteering and Community Officer,
National Trust Gower
The National Trust rely on the hard work of our volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering contact geraldine.ferguson@nationaltrust.org.uk
Reference:
Davies, M. (1956). Rhosili Open Field and Related South Wales Field Patterns. The Agricultural History Review, 4(2), 80–96. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40272798