Hedges in the countryside of the British Isles - Śródpolne żywopłoty Wysp Brytyjskich

The aim of this paper is to present the historical and geobotanical characteristics of the hedges which divide pastures and fields in the British countryside, with some references to similar hedges in other western European countries. The hedges of Great Britain are an old feature of the countryside, many presently existing English hedges were recorded in the 11th century Doomsday Book. Later, in the period of Enclosures (18th-19th century), new hedges were added when village commons were divided into private properties. In the past, hedges were not cut annually as they are now, but almost completely cut down every few years, using a technique called laying. The idea of this technique was to partly cut the base of each bush and then bend the bush horizontally. This way new growth from the base was stimulated and the old branches were set almost horizontally, creating a practically impassable obstacle for people and animals. Some interesting issues concerning hedging were discussed, such as ways of starting a hedge, and the so called Hooper's rule used to date hedges, and the history of the famous Penny Hedge was presented. The commonest species used to make hedges in the British Isles is Crataegus monogyna, although many other species were used as well, e.g. Prunus spinosa, Rubus subgenus Rubus spp. and Ulmus spp. An early 19th century system of hedges started by the Polish agricultural innovator Dezydery Chłapowski in Turew near Poznań (W Poland) still exists to this day constituting an interesting example of the transference of English hedge traditions to other countries. - The aim of this paper is to present the historical and geobotanical characteristics of the hedges which divide pastures and fields in the British countryside, with some references to similar hedges in other western European countries. The hedges of Great Britain are an old feature of the countryside, many presently existing English hedges were recorded in the 11th century Doomsday Book. Later, in the period of Enclosures (18th-19th century), new hedges were added when village commons were divided into private properties. In the past, hedges were not cut annually as they are now, but almost completely cut down every few years, using a technique called laying. The idea of this technique was to partly cut the base of each bush and then bend the bush horizontally. This way new growth from the base was stimulated and the old branches were set almost horizontally, creating a practically impassable obstacle for people and animals. Some interesting issues concerning hedging were discussed, such as ways of starting a hedge, and the so called Hooper's rule used to date hedges, and the history of the famous Penny Hedge was presented. The commonest species used to make hedges in the British Isles is Crataegus monogyna, although many other species were used as well, e.g. Prunus spinosa, Rubus subgenus Rubus spp. and Ulmus spp. An early 19th century system of hedges started by the Polish agricultural innovator Dezydery Chłapowski in Turew near Poznań (W Poland) still exists to this day constituting an interesting example of the transference of English hedge traditions to other countries.