oxgang

English

Etymology

From Middle English oxegang, from Old English oxangang (“¹⁄₈ hide or ploughland”), equivalent to ox +‎ gang.

Noun

oxgang (plural oxgangs)

1. (historical) The area of land that could be plowed by an ox in a year, ¹⁄₈ hide or carucate and notionally 15 acres.
   • 1909, “Appendix II: Rishworth of Coley”, in William Brown, editor, Record Series‎^[1], volume 39: For the Year 1907: Yorkshire Deeds, Yorkshire Archaeological Society, page 226:

     1417. Henry Rishworth formerly held two oxgangs in Hipperholme, Osbarn rode, lands in Coley, etc. His nephew Henry, son of Nicholas de Rishworth, next heir, paid 10s heriot.
     1418. John, son and heir of Henry de Rishworth, herioted a cottage and a royd in the Hey in Hipperholme.

2. (historical, Scotland) The similar Scottish concept, ¹⁄₈ of a ploughgate and notionally 12+¹⁄₂ or 13 Scottish acres.

Usage notes

The hide was originally intended to represent the amount of land farmed by a single household but was primarily connected to obligations owed to the Saxon and Norman kings and thus varied greatly from place to place. Around the time of the Domesday Book under the Normans, the hide was usually but not always the land expected to produce £1 (1 Tower pound of sterling silver) in income over the year, meaning the oxgang was expected to produce 30 pence (1+¹⁄₂ Tower ounces of sterling silver).

Synonyms

• bovate, oxgate, oxengate

Hypernyms

• (800 oxgangs) See hundred
• (8 oxgangs) See carucate
• (Scottish, 4 oxgangs) See ochdamh
• (2 oxgangs) See virgate

Hyponyms

• (¹⁄₂ oxgang) See nook
• (¹⁄₄ oxgang) See fardel
• (various & for further subdivisions) See acre

Translations

area

• Latin: bovata f

References

• Worchester, Joseph. A Dictionary of the English Language. Boston, 1881.