7 JULY 1928, Page 23

VILLAGE PINFOLDS

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Though not scheduled as an " ancient monument," the parish pound or pinfold is an interesting relic of an England which has passed away.

Once a familiar sight in many a village, it is now fast dis- appearing, and the time has come when a determined effort should be made by those who love the English countryside and are anxious to preserve its amenities to save the pinfold from complete extinction.

At the sale of a manorial estatein Staffordshire last autumn the village pinfold' was presented by the vendor to the Vicar of the parish in order that it might be saved from destruction. This, however, is. no more than an isolated instance of such action being taken, and I would suggest that such a society as the Council for the Preservation of Rural England should endeavour to obtain as complete a list as possible of pinfolds still in existence in each county (in this work clergy could doubtless give much assistance) and should then appeal to the individual owners of the pinfolds to take such steps as may be necessary to ensure their preservation.—I am, Sir, &c.,

(Rev.) G. S. HEWINS.

Weston, Hawkstone, Shrewsbury.