Shareland

       Dwelling in the house that was built on the plot of land and, which was surrounded by a permanent enclosure, was a foundational requirement for ownership. A year and a day was the usual given time to plant your sleeping bag, build your cook stove, roast your first meat, and to seed your garden. This also gave time for anyone else to question or to challenge your selection of opened land. Now, the fireplace was located in the center of the house so that rising smoke would flow centrally to the ceiling opening which was so designed. This "hearth" became the symbol of your family's life and, the "cauldron" became the inheritance of the youngest son. [Jenkins, p. 261, under Welsh word dadannudd meaning uncovering of a fire banked up overnight] Hum...banked up overnight would mean you had to reside there and not run off to some other location.

       Four acres of adjoining land was accepted as standard to each toft. As time past, and generations began to show up around the place, the need for more space would become evident. A generation was considered 30 years and additional family members would be busting at the seams. For 14 years a son was to be at his father's plate (covering and uncovering the family hearth) but, after this duration the son became his own boss and, destinated to be trained by the closest warlord. By 18-20 years of age, the well-trained free man was ready to plant his own toft. A new house with a distinctive fence and four more acres could be added to the family farm. After three generations (90 years), a clustering of tofts would be joined. When four tofts were reached, this became known as "shareland" and would contain 4x4=16 acres of adjoining land. At the fourth generation down from the first toft planted (by great-grandfather), each male heir could become a new proprietor! How about that, roughly a century of joint ownership together. No wonder it was called shareland!

       Now here again is a drawing of my notes:

       Drum roll please...your not going to believe this...here is an enlargement of a photo taken from the air which shows such a shareland as it actually existed around 300 A.D. Please take a good look.

       Four tofts are shown. The house is the uniformed, smaller circular areas surrounded by a larger enclosure for each toft. The four acres of land joining each toft can be roughly identified with a group of other adjoining walled areas. Pathways to each house can be followed with a separate entrance for each.  Could you share this land with your kin?

      The photo is found p. 59 in the text titled Celtic Britain by Lloyd Laing but, does not give a complete description. The picture is taken near Penzance, Cornwall and, Laing reports the site is thought to be occupied from "...first century BC until c. AD 300". This would certainly allow enough time for Gadforch (JA-1) to Ynyr (JB-1), then to Tudor Trevor (JC-1) and Ynyr his brother (JC-3), then to the three son of Tudor (JC-1), i.e. Goronwy (JD-1), Llydocla (JD-2), and my own direct line through the baby of the brothers, Dingad (JD-3) to get their tofts together and become the next proprietors.

P.S. The book by Laing is shown post April 19, 2022.