 It was intended as a resource for small settlers, a place for them to graze their livestock and collect firewood, to supplement their farming practices.The Field of Mars Common, an area of approximately 2,040 hectares (5,050 acres) located north of the Field of Mars and the Eastern Farms, covered most of the Ryde municipality.The village itself comprised only a modest scattering of houses in a few streets around the church, surrounded by farms, orchards and some large estates.