PINFOLD

"Nearly every village once had its Pinfold or Pound (Pinfold is the northern name, Pound tend to be in the south) for stray cattle, pigs, geese, etc. to be driven into and there kept at the expense of the owner, till such time as he should pay the fine (the amount claimed by the person on whose land they had strayed, for damage done), and the fee to the Pinfold keeper, man or sometimes woman, for feeding and watering the same.
If not claimed in three weeks, the animals were driven to the nearest market and sold, the proceeds going to the impounder and Pinfold keeper. An ingenious form of receipt was sometimes used. The person who found the animals on his land cut a stick and made notches, one for every beast, and then split the stick down the centre of the notches so that half each notch appeared on each stick; one half he kept, the other he gave to the Pinfold  keeper.
When the owner came to redeem his property and had paid for the damage done, the impounder gave him his half stick. He took this to the Pinfold keeper, and if the two pieces tallied, it proved he had paid and his beast was freed.
I've added an extra only because I liked the look of the sky, we've had but a mere smattering of snow in the town thankfully but my heart goes out to all those south of here who have had it bad, hope things improve and we all enjoy a pleasing weekend.