I second Marrti's comments and will only add that sheep and geese were commonly set to graze upon the lawns in order to keep them closely cropped. Remember that the lawns of houses had the original purpose of being the "killing ground" in case of attack by enemy forces. The attackers were forced to cross open ground with no cover for their advance.

I have been told (so I can't vouch for the accuracy of this)that lawns have their origin in the fact that the bits of ground near dwellings were usually used for sheep, goats, geese and the like, which thus acquired a closely-cropped appearance; and that by Tudor times this appearance was beginning to acquire the standing of status, since extensive areas of closely-cropped grass advertised the wealth of a householder, at least in terms of this livestock.