| ENCLOSURES |
|
|
|
 |
Socketed gatepost, Auchterhouse, Angus |
A single slab of stone has been socketed to allow a three-bar gate (or three separate bars) to be hooked in place.
This unusual method of gate-hanging provided an opening to fields without the use of iron hinges and dates from the late 18th or early 19th century. In the 1700s, enclosure allowed crops and animals to be kept in the same area without risk to crops or the need to herd animals.
A later, substitute gate is held in place by wire. The need to take large field machinery – such as combines – in and out of fields, has led to the loss of some original gateposts in arable areas. |
Resource pack
|
 |
|
|
;){kind=small}