there are 2 of these barns, both in the same town in southern maine (Gray). One is a poor man's or working man's barn, the other is from an original well-to-do family (brick house). Instead of long plates, both have a "sectioned girt" system tying the bents together.... and both are old for the area. Early 1800s. Dispite the replacement sawn post in the photo, both frames are hand hewn w/ vertical boarding... both have purlin roof systems. This part of Maine was settled almost exclusively by the English. But as Ken stated, this style of bent connection seems to be unusual for England.
I guess it's still a mystery. These barns are unusual for the area. Most have continuous top plates
