The fields are brown, and there's a wee, fenced-off, tree in each one.

GDB2222

Bendy_House said:

Eldi_Dos said:

Could be burial site of favourite pet or horse with memorial tree?

One in each field?

The strange thing is, its location is bound to make working the field more awkward. But for some reason it must be considered worth it.

By leaving that little patch in each field, their farm subsidy is vastly increased?

Norman_Castle

Bendy_House said:

Belenus said

Landing beacons for alien craft perhaps?

Fair do's - that's another angle all right.

Ah, but how would the aliens light them?

They emit Polmendium. We can see it without it being "lit".

greyteam1959

There is probably something there that the farmer does not want to wreck his £100 000 machine on.
Tree stump, big stone / rock could be anything really 

daivid

Eldi_Dos said:

Could be burial site of favourite pet or horse with memorial tree?

That would surely happen under a pond…

twopenny

The planting of extra trees for livestock is usually done in a corner for extra shelter and convenience as is for biodiversity.
It can help water retention, soil erosion and polination. Even reduce wind speed.
It's the fact they are in the centre is the intriguing bit.

Bendy_House

twopenny said:

It's the fact they are in the centre is the intriguing bit.

Yes, it they were huge fields it might be understandable - somewhere to have a break. But these are tiny.

Section62

Bendy_House said:

But these are tiny.

By modern standards... but not so long ago (e.g. pre-WW2) those fields would be normal to 'big'.  This is why I think it possible the young trees have been planted where there were 'historic' trees, the locations could have been on the line of an ancient hedgerow which was removed, but the largest trees were left (until they died).

Have you looked on the old OS maps?

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=15&lat=53.61049&lon=-0.78895&layers=168&right=ESRIWorld

I've zoomed that link to a random area which shows how field sizes have increased since approx 1900.

The other thing to try is looking at aerial images taken in the Spring or Summer - if there was a hedge or ditchline across the field(s) there may be a change in crop colour due to different soil conditions.  E.g. like the stripe on the NLS image where the boundary between plot 181 and 182 used to be.

Bendy_House

Fascinating stuff, S62 - thanks.

Not seeing anything that obvious, tho': https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17&lat=51.03892&lon=-4.20039&layers=168&right=ESRIWorld

The fields are 471 and 472, with the photo taken from 472 5.726 above them.

The two fenced-off bits are tiny in reality: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Northam/@51.0382016,-4.2008384,200m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x486c3d90ae844ebf:0x510f4413f94a590!8m2!3d51.039809!4d-4.213152

theoretica

Another reason I have seen for single (tall) trees to be a benefit is somewhere for birds of prey to perch and hence enhanced rodent control in the field. 

Section62

Bendy_House said:

Fascinating stuff, S62 - thanks.

Not seeing anything that obvious, tho': https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17&lat=51.03892&lon=-4.20039&layers=168&right=ESRIWorld

The fields are 471 and 472, with the photo taken from 472 5.726 above them.

The two fenced-off bits are tiny in reality: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Northam/@51.0382016,-4.2008384,200m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x486c3d90ae844ebf:0x510f4413f94a590!8m2!3d51.039809!4d-4.213152

With the extra information it seems the fields are definitely grazing rather than arable (wasn't clear from the photo) so...

1) Having a tree in the middle of the field isn't a problem.

2) They have probably been planted for livestock shading.

3) There may still be economic incentives from Stewardship perspective.

4) The fence is there to protect the tree from the livestock.

If you have a look in plot 415 (the other side of Windmill Lane) there are two more mature trees in the middle of the field in a similar fashion.  On google maps this field looks brown, most likely because it has just had a crop of hay taken off it.

Apologies - when you said 'tiny' I thought you were talking about the field rather than the fenced off bit.  I.e. in comparison to "huge fields".