Barnsley Farmhouse contd
There was a pool or pond in the grounds which is now in the field running next to the M42. It was called Cunny Green pool. Charlie Bateman has had some ideas of the use and origin. Here are some of his thoughts:-
"I have looked out at 'Cunny green ' for 88 years and having walked past it almost daily (1938-1942) when I was at Catshill school.
1 Although the pool it self was known and called 'Cunny green ' I believe the name relates to field 1615 on the Tithe map, (Cunny - Coney - Rabbit ) (Green - Field).
2, The man made pool with a surface area of almost an acre, with a water retaining embankment (shown as 'hatching ' on the 1883 map), would have required a considerable amount of labour in construction.
3, The pool was fed by 2 small springs now dried up and field surface runoff, over flow ran down towards ' Washingstocks joining Battlefield brook near the present motorway bridge on the Stourbridge road.
4, Reasons for the pool,
Cattle drinking? rather elaborate for that, smaller drinking pools existed.
Mill pool? size ok but. no mill in any case the in flow would not support continuous work.
Source of ice? no know ice house (locally Hanbury Hall have a pool and ice house.
Fish pond (stew) ? local example (Dodford priory). (Chadwick Manor, spring pools)
5, Barnsley Hall was demolished in 1771 and the Georgian farm built. The pool could predate the 1771 farm and be part of the medieval Barnsley Hall ?
Although now ploughed out the field in my lifetime showed evidence of a rabbit warren until myxomatosis dozens of rabbits could be seen. A medieval warren? another source of protein for the Hall?
