This field is the site of a medieval village that had the name Wothersome. From my brief research, the village may have had as few as 20 residents. There seems to be no evidence of its former existence – maybe some crop marks show themselves at the right time of year.
A second field, less than a mile from the first, is the site of a more modern village, one that lasted a mere three or four days, yet probably had a few thousand ‘residents’. It is the site of a ‘tent village’ that came into existence during the ‘Leeds Festival’ at Bramham Park, West Yorkshire. Now an annual event, it is likely a new village will appear at the same time next year.
—Stephen—-
Stephen G Hipperson 
Good comparison Stephen…
Thanks – I’ve had the idea for a short series of pictures of fields where medieval villages were recorded – inspired, in part, by the work of Fay Godwin – just need to get my act together.
Her work inspires … one of my favourite books is Islands, her colaboration with John Fowles. Such powerful images.
Indeed! 🙂
Very creative piece of thinking to match those two shots that way.
Thank you. I was on a cycle ride to take in the medieval village field and just happened to pass the Leeds festival site.
That’s an interesting comparison, and the potential in which open space is utilised. In my neck of the world, it would be open to squatting rights.
I think the tree trunk is to dissuade opportunist ‘settlers’ and would have been a temporary expedient before the a more permanent gate arrangement was reinstalled. As you might appreciate, the UK is less ‘Wild West’ than many other places in the world. There is probably clear ownership for every parcel of land we have.