 This appears to imply a high degree of planning, and the history of the village may most usefully be described in this context.The houses round the green present a continuous frontage broken only by narrow lanes giving access to the farmyards, barns and fields which lie behind.Roads and tracks enter at the corners of the green and access is so restricted at some points that it has been suggested that the village has been constructed on defensive lines – possibly against the Border Reivers.