Afield barn is an outbuilding located in a field, some distance ("further afield") from farmer's residence or the main cluster of buildings that constitute a farmstead.[1] Field barns were necessary when arable fields or valuable pastures were located some distance from a village or the residences of the agricultural workers who tended the fields.[2] Rather than "commuting" back and forth to the field with livestock, tools, or harvests, the field barn allowed on-site storage (usually of straw, hay, and additional feed), as well as providing shelter for herds during inclement weather or when pregnant cattle or sheep needed respite and a clean place to labor.[2] Field barns were also used for the drying and curing of hay, which protected the nutritional content of the crop better than drying and curing in the field.[3]
In English agricultural history, many farms ended up "pie-shaped" (in order to connect the farm to the central village) and field barns were constructed at the distant wide end.[4] Early examples in Staffordshire were essentially just a shed, those latterly built often had a foldyard and an additional shelter shed.[5] Field barn construction began to decline with the rise of mechanized threshing.[5]
Historic England have been mapping field barns and outfarms across England and have noted that 72% have disappeared since 1900. They have confirmed the significance of these structures noting that:[1]
Some county-based research projects have been carried out by the County Councils:
