This is the sixth event in a series to highlight some of the pinfolds that are found within Derbyshire, with this one taking us to another good example in the small village of Little Longstone, not far from the Monsal Trail.
Pinfold is derived from the Saxon Old English pundfald meaning an enclosure & the term was used largely in the north & east of the country. These enclosures were used specifically to house stray cattle or sheep which had wandered from their owners' land or which had been found grazing on common land without common rights. These would be rounded up & kept in the pinfold until they were claimed. To retrieve the animals, a fine would have to be paid to the pinder, who was an officer of the Lord of the Manor. It was a serious offence to break your animals out of the pinfold, punishable by a further fine or imprisonment! Occasionally the pinfold might be rented as a temporary holding pen overnight by drovers on their way to market. Although they date from much earlier, it is thought that by the 16th century, almost every settlement would have had its own pinfold & pinder. Sadly, most of these have been lost over the years, but some survive almost intact whilst others have been restored.
Little Longstone Pinfold is adjacent to property on Butts Road - the main road through Little Longstone towards Monsal Head. Little is known about the origins of the pinfold, but it is believed to be post-Medieval (1590 - 1900) & was marked on the 1880 Ordnance Survey map of the area. It is rectangular in design, constructed from limestone, with drystone walls on three sides. It has a standard Peak District National Park pinfold information sign at the front.
This short event will give us an opportunity to meet up safely outside for some geochat & to swap trackables in hopefully peaceful & beautiful surroundings. There are a few caches dotted around the area, although if you haven't done it, the excellent Monsal Trail series, is highly recommended, although the trail will be busy on a Sunday. There may even be a new cache published for the occasion.