
An animal pound is a place where stray livestock were impounded. Animals were kept in a dedicated enclosure, until claimed by their owners, or sold to cover the costs of impounding.
Etymology
The terms "pinfold" and "pound" are Saxon in origin. ''Pundfald'' and ''pund'' both mean an enclosure. There appears to be no difference between a pinfold and a village pound.
The person in charge of the pinfold was the "pinder", giving rise to the surname ''Pinder''.
Village pound or pinfold

The village pound was a feature of most
English medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
villages, and they were also found in the
English colonies of North America and in
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
.
A high-walled and lockable structure served several purposes; the most common use was to hold stray sheep, pigs and cattle until they were claimed by the owners, usually for the payment of a fine or levy. The pound could be as small as or as big as and may be circular or square. Early pounds had just briar hedges, but most were built in stone or brick, making them more stock-proof.
The size and shape of village pounds varies. Some are four-sided—rectangular, square and irregular—while others are circular. In size they vary from a few square metres (some square feet) to over . Pounds are known to date from the medieval period. By the 16th century most villages and townships would have had a pound. Most of what remain today would date from the 16th and 17th centuries. Some are listed buildings, but most have fallen into disrepair.
The ''
Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
County Magazine'' in 1930 stated:
Although pounds are most common to England, there are also examples in other countries. In ''Americans and Their Forests: a Historical Geography'', author
Michael Williams writes: "There was hardly a town in eighteenth-century
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
without its town pound..."

In some mountainous areas of northern Spain (such as
Cantabria
Cantabria (, ; ) is an autonomous community and Provinces of Spain, province in northern Spain with Santander, Cantabria, Santander as its capital city. It is called a , a Nationalities and regions of Spain, historic community, in its current ...
or
Asturias
Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...
) some similar enclosures are traditionally used to protect
beehive
A beehive is an enclosed structure which houses honey bees, subgenus '' Apis.'' Honey bees live in the beehive, raising their young and producing honey as part of their seasonal cycle. Though the word ''beehive'' is used to describe the nest of ...
s from bear attacks.
Cultural references
The artist
Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy (born 25 July 1956) is an English sculptor, photographer, and environmentalist who produces site-specific sculptures and land art situated in natural or urban settings.
Early life
Goldsworthy was born in Cheshire on 25 July ...
has produced a series of sculptures in several of the pinfolds in Cumbria.
"Sheepfolds & Pinfolds, Cumbrian sculpture project by Andy Goldsworthy"
/ref>
See also
* Kraal
Kraal (also spelled ''craal'' or ''kraul'') is an Afrikaans and Dutch language, Dutch word, also used in South African English, for an pen (enclosure), enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within a Southern African Human settlement ...
* Pen (enclosure)
A pen is a fenced/ walled open-air enclosure for holding land animals in captivity, typically for livestock but may also be used for holding other domesticated animals such as pets that are unwanted inside buildings. The term describes ty ...
* Scarisbrick
Scarisbrick () is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Lancashire, England. The A570 road, A570, the main road between Ormskirk and Southport, runs through Scarisbrick, and much of the village lies along it. As a result ...
, Lancashire, in which is the hamlet of Pinfold
* List of extant pinfolds in Cheshire
A pinfold was a structure into which straying animals were placed until they were retrieved by their owner on payment of a fine. Other terms for the structure were ''penfold'' or ''pound''. These names were derived from the Old English words ' ...
* Village lock-up
A village lock-up is a historic building once used for the temporary detention of people in England and Wales, mostly where official prisons or criminal courts were beyond easy walking distance. Lockups were often used for the confinement of d ...
* Poundmaster
Notes
References
*
External links
{{Commons category, Historic animal pounds
photos of examples of village pounds today on geograph
Google maps
aerial view of a pinfold in Hougham, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
Agricultural buildings
Animal equipment
Animal welfare
Buildings and structures used to confine animals
Society in medieval England