Legal Definitions - dole-moor

A dole-moor refers to a specific type of common land, typically moorland or heathland, that was historically divided into temporary plots. These plots were periodically distributed or "dealt out" (from which "dole" derives) among villagers or tenants for their private use for a set period. This system allowed individuals to utilize a portion of the common land for purposes such as grazing animals, collecting fuel, or cultivating crops, before the land reverted to common ownership or was re-allotted to others. It was a method of ensuring equitable access to shared resources within a community.

• Example 1: Seasonal Grazing Allotments

  Imagine a medieval village surrounded by vast moorland. Each spring, the village elders would designate specific sections of this common moorland to different families. For instance, the Miller family might be allotted a particular stretch of moor for their sheep to graze during the summer months, while the Baker family received a different section. After the grazing season, these plots would revert to common use or be re-allotted to other families the following year.

  This illustrates a dole-moor because a specific portion of the common moor is periodically "dealt out" to individual families for their exclusive, temporary use (grazing), ensuring fair access to shared resources over time.

• Example 2: Fuel Collection Rights

  Consider a community in the 17th century that relied heavily on peat from the local moor for heating their homes. To prevent over-extraction and ensure fairness, the community council would annually assign distinct areas within the common moor to individual households. Each household would have the right to cut and collect peat from their assigned "dole" for that year, with the understanding that these areas would rotate in subsequent years to allow for regeneration.

  This demonstrates a dole-moor as it involves the temporary, allocated use of a section of common moorland by individual households for a specific resource (peat), with the allocation changing periodically to manage the resource sustainably.

• Example 3: Temporary Cultivation Plots

  In some historical agricultural communities, parts of the moorland that could be temporarily improved for cultivation might be managed as dole-moors. For example, a village might periodically assign small, temporary plots on the edge of the moor to landless peasants for a season or two to grow subsistence crops like oats or potatoes. Once the harvest was complete, the land would either revert to common pasture or be re-allotted to another family.

  This exemplifies a dole-moor because it describes a portion of common moorland that is periodically distributed among individuals for their exclusive, temporary use (cultivation), providing essential resources to community members who might otherwise lack access to arable land.