The loss of dominions in France during the 1360s and 1370s (The Hundred Years War 1336 - 1453) meant more and more of the costs of continued hostilities fell upon the English. To extract even more money from England a Poll Tax was levied three times, 1377, 1379 and 1381, each time the basis being slightly different. Although there are questions over the extent of evasion almost 60% of the population was liable to pay these taxes, far more than had been liable for taxes until then. In 1377 everyone over the age of 14 and not exempt had to pay a groat (4d) to the Crown, married couples were charged the single rate. By 1379 it was graded by social class and the lower limit rose to 16. The levy in 1381 included all over 15 and was particularly unpopular as each person had to pay one shilling, which was a large amount at the time. This helped provoke the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
Only the 1379 list of taxpayers for Great Harwood survives but is a snapshot of the population at that time.

Population Trends.
The Domesday Book commissioners, 1086, stressed that much of Lancashire and Cheshire was wholly waste or depopulated. William the Conqueror's "Harrying of the North" could account for some of this but the previous hundred years had seen much conflict in the region: 980 a Norse raid on Chester and the beginning of the second Viking Age; 1016 the north west Midlands ravaged by Edmund Ironside and Earl Uhtred of Northumbria in their struggle with Canute; 1050s north Lancashire severely affected by Scottish incursions; Earl Leofric of Mercia recruits the help of King Griffith of Wales and Norsemen against Harold Godwinson culminating with the burning of Hereford in 1055; 1061 raids by Scots in Lancashire; 1062 - 3 Harold and his brother Tostig attack and lay waste north east Wales; 1070 the Scots return with devastating raids in north and central Lancashire. Even if Great Harwood (if it existed at this time) wasn't an active participant in any of these events the disruption caused would surely have reached even this isolated spot. The population on England in 1086 has been estimated as low as 1.1 million and as high as 2.25 million but, unsurprisingly, that of Lancashire was only 2 - 4000 and even though this is thought to be well understated (they were probably very good at hiding by now) there is no doubt that compared to southern and central England the population density was very low.
The next 200 years saw a steady and fairly rapid rise in the population of England to between 4 and 6 million by 1300. Although urban populations grew the vast majority of people still lived on the land so more land was needed. Some of this could be achieved by clearing uncultivated land (waste) and draining marshes around existing settlements but in already populous areas this seems not to have been sufficient and new land was made from sea marshes and by emigration to less populous areas Lancashire and Cheshire becoming "the nearest thing to a "Wild West" available to the medieval community in England". While the demand for land strengthened the lords' feudal position elsewhere in England these new lands were nearly all farmed by freemen owing little to the landowner other than rent, this was perhaps an inducement to attract the "better sort" of tenant as clearing heavily wooded land, assarting, was arduous, time consuming work and maybe they were expected to have the means to support themselves until the first harvest.
Famine and plague, however, were a constant check on the population even in these times of growth and it's thought that after 1300 England's population stagnated or even began to fall. There was widespread famine 1316 - 22 that is thought to have killed 10% - 15% of the national population, widespread cattle murrain (disease) 1319 - 20 which must have affected the economy of the East Lancashire uplands disproportionately and more raids by the Scots in 1323. Just how badly affected Great Harwood might have been is difficult to assess. There appears to have been no reduction in assarting in the North West as a whole suggesting the population was already high but some contemporary records of other East Lancashire manors show land falling out of use. Then in 1348 the Black Death struck southern England spreading throughout the country. Estimates of its effects vary from killing 20% to 50% of the population but it wasn't just the effects of the terrible 'first wave' that afflicted the country but further outbreaks which “initiated a period of declining population which lasted until about 1430”. By the time of the 1379 Poll Tax the population of Lancashire is estimated at 35,000 but in 1300 it's thought to have been 60,000 or even higher. For the survivors, however, the hundred years to 1450 were times of great opportunity.

Economy.
Unlike vast swathes of the Midlands and south of England which were farmed in large open, arable fields the open or common fields in Lancashire were relatively small. Whereas the open fields of a Midland village could cover thousands of acres Lancashire villages tended to have a few hundred acres and often less.

1848

Area of long, narrow fields.
The longest is about 350m the narrowest 30m.
Part of this area was called Churchfield in the Clayton Estate Farm Rent Ledger (1897)

Field names suggest this area was once part of The Deer Park.

Its extent is uncertain but this was possibly part of the Great Heie. (below)

From 18th century documents this is the approximate position of Bean Flatt.

Townfield.
The eastern part is only known from a 13th century land exchange but its full extent and exact position isn't known.
The western part is mentioned in a sale of land for the building of St John's Church.
Whether these two parts were ever part of one whole or farmed as open fields at the same time is a matter for conjecture.