This is the fifth volume in the series which aims to enable readers to look at various aspects of the landscape and understand its many features. The use of land and the traditions that have governed and affected it over the years are studied in this book, following its development from the first Neolithic cultivators up to the present day. The author examines the role played by many people through the ages including the Romans, the medieval farmer, the "gentry" farmers and modern landlord. A variety of factors are discussed - geographic, economic, social and agricultural - which have influenced the development of the countryside over the years from the rise of the yeoman farmer to the wealthy country estates of the 18th century and on to the industrial revolution of the 19th century. The author's research is backed up with visual and documentary evidence including contemporary maps, hedgerow species-counts and pottery remains scattered on the land. It also features aerial photographs of the whole country showing clear evidence of ancient field patterns and the planning of settlements.