Porch Fields, Archaeological site in Trim, Ireland
Porch Fields is an archaeological site covering around 37 hectares of medieval farmland on the north bank of the River Boyne between Trim and Newtown Abbey. The grounds preserve ancient field pathways and agricultural structures, including visible ridge patterns that show how farmers organized their strips of land.
The site dates to the medieval period when farmers received land grants here and worked their own strips using ridge and furrow methods. This farming approach shaped the landscape for centuries and was the typical way people cultivated land in the region during that era.
The sunken lane here connected the Anglo-Norman town to surrounding settlements and shows how people organized their relationship with the land in medieval times. Walking through the fields, you can observe the patterns that reveal how farming and town life were intertwined.
The site is publicly accessible and protected as a National Monument, allowing visitors to explore the ancient structures themselves. It is best visited in good light so you can clearly see the fine details of the field patterns across the rolling ground.
The name may come from the French word porte meaning door, or from the old measurement unit perch, which was about five meters per land strip. These two possible origins show how history and practical land measurement became woven into the name of this place.
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