Hmmm...! My...! A find little pickle you've handed me.
So just to summarize, Freeholder A owns the field but hasn't been using it, and Freeholder B doesn't own it but has been using it without A's leave. Right?
How did B plant it without A noticing? Did B plant it in secret at night (that would be very strange)? Was A gone? Did A know B was planting and not try to stop him? Or did he try to stop him and was there some threatening, whether of bodily harm or legal recourse? These are the questions that Eodwine will be asking before making a decision.
Folwren, I'd love it if you could provide answers to put in the mouths of A & B so I can use them in a post. Sound good?
Uh,.... there may be more questions after these are asked, but we'll see about that later. Anyway, Eodwine's likely settlement is that B is going to have to pay A for the use of the land, whether in fee or in kind, and will, if having planted without permission, probably have to pay a fine to Eodwine besides for having caused the problem in the first place. I'd be interested in others' opinions as to how they see this case. Kinda fun.