Jury Day

Jury Day in Laxton takes place on the last Thursday in November. The Bailiff - a position currently held by Robert Haigh - selects the Jury of twelve from the Laxton tenants. A foreman, chosen by the the Court and automatically a member of the Jury,  holds office for each field. The foreman of the wheat field leads the inspection of the strip boundaries, the dykes (ditches) and roadways of that field.

The Jury walks the field, discussing any instances of ploughing over boundaries or failing to plough right up to them. Stakes are carried into the field and knocked in at the junction of each strip to denote the correct position. Any contraventions are noted fines decided and these are recorded by the Bailiff on a 'Presentment Paper' during a discussion after lunch. The Presentment Paper is put before the Steward of the Court Leet the following week. The farmers are invited to appeal and the fine is applied if they are found to be guilty.

The Court Leet

The Court Leet is the legally constituted ancient manorial court of Laxton. The Court is held a week after Jury Day, on the first Thursday in December. The Court hearing is called by the Bailiff. The Court convenes at The Dovecote Inn and all names on the Manor Suite Roll must attend. The penalty for non-attendance is 2p, and is collected by the Bailiff.

The Court is presided over and advised by the Steward of the Manor, a Newark solicitor, appointed by the Crown Estate. He hears appeals to the fines and swears in members of the Jury for the coming year in the traditional manner.

Laxton Grass Sales

The three Open Fields each contain areas which are too wet or too steep to be cultivated. These areas, which are not part of any tenancy, provided the farmers of old with somewhere to turn their horses when they ploughed and most incorporate a cart road or drainage ditch. These areas, known as ‘sykes’ (pronounced ‘six’), are designated unimproved meadowland and have never been treated with fertilisers or chemicals. Some are also designated SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest).

The grass and wild flowers which grow on the sykes make wonderful hay. The right to make this hay is sold by an independent auctioneer at the annual Grass Sales to ‘anyone who puts smoke up a chimney in Laxton’ i.e. tenants of the Laxton Crown Estate. The grass may not be cut before July 15th under the current Countryside Stewardship scheme, so in recent times the sale has been in early July. In the past the sale often took place on the longest day with the payment falling due on the shortest day - allegedly to give the buyer the minimum time to worry about it on the day! The proceeds of the sale go into the Laxton Gaits and Commons account and help towards the upkeep of the roads of the Open Fields. The sale of each of the 26 parcels of land is also subject to a £2 levy to pay for refreshments in The Dovecote afterwards.

The photos opposite show the processes of cutting the hay, turning it by hand and mechanically and baling into small bales, suitable for individual horse owners' use.