1) A division of a wood set out to be felled.
1534 such … usuall hagges and falles as have beene yearlie accustomed to bee felled, Drax
1578 the proper names of the fawles and hagges as followeth, Settrington
1796 setting out one fall of Lepton Great Wood.
2) A measure of land; defined as the 160<sup>th</sup> part of a customary acre but equivalent to the perch in linear measurement.
It is used repeatedly in a detailed thirteenth-century document: c.1242 omnes parcellas terrarum quas habui in territorio de Ripon … ad pontem de Yor, j roda et octo fall … apud Wythepottes in vno loco j roda et xv fall
1316 ‘has encroached … 3 roods and 5 falls’, Holmfirth. Examples occur in different parts of Yorkshire: 1583 one new house and xvj falls of grounde, Slaidburn
1590 not recnyng his faules … which wer ox pastus, Kirby Underdale
1607 about five fales of ground, Kirkby Malham
1652 8 falles of ground … within the township of Settle. In one East Riding reference the ‘fall’ seems to be a number of lands or strips: 1623 In the east side of the King’s Street Edwards hath but one fall and in it 2 lands … On the west side … Edwards hath 2 falls and in both the falls Roger Tompson lieth on the west side of Edwards, Elmswell.