Parish boundaries and early fields: continuity and discontinuity

There is now much evidence to suggest that in parts of East Anglia and Essex the basic pattern of field boundaries and minor routeways, is of late-prehistoric or Romano-British origin. Examination of the relationship between parish boundaries and these relict systems of land division indicates that the former are relatively recent, features in the landscape. This observation casts doubt on claims for the extreme antiquity of the landunits which became medieval townships and parishes; but it also suggests that changes in territorial organization during the Anglo-Saxon period need not imply radical disruption in the continuity of land-use and settlement.