Horse High, Pig Tight, and Bull Strong

Horse High, Pig Tight, and Bull Strong. . , Fences were a necessary feature of the 17th-century landscape. Laws often mandated the standards for fence design and maintenance. Construction techniques and the choice of wood depended on the intended use., Paling fences (picket style) protected yards and vegetable gardens from animal intruders. Posts and pales were partly below ground and needed to be partly below ground and needed to be rot resistant., Palisade fences were made of whole or split logs placed upright in a trench. Often though of as fortification, they were also part of the domestic landscape., Stake and rider fences (zig-zag) could be quickly set in place or moved. This style was used to enclose pastures, fields, and orchards., Wattle fencing (woven) provided tight enclosure, keeping out even small animals. Although labor intensive, wattle fencing can be fashioned from otherwise unusable materials and is easy to build.,

"Every man shall fence his corne and other ground against cattell at his own peril…" , Assembly Proceedings, October 1640

, [Captions:] , Throughout the Town Center area, there is archaeological evidence for multiple generations of fences dating back to the 17th century. Darkened soil reveals the location of postholes and trenches where palisade and paling fences once stood., Not all animals were kept out by fences. In 1678, a Charles County planter was charged with shooting a neighbor's cow that regularly broke into his orchard by using her horns to lift the rails from his poorly built fence., Stake and rider fencing lacks posts and so it seldom appears in the archaeological record. However, it is clearly evident on this period drawing.