"GENERAL VIEW

OF THE

AGRICULTURE

OF THE

COUNTY OF HANTS,

WITH

OBSERVATIONS ON THE MEANS OF ITS IMPROVEMENT.

BY ABRAHAM AND WILLIAM DRIVER,

OF KENT ROAD, SURREY.

1794."

How far those gentlemen were qualified for the task

OW

they undertook, we can but surmise from what their slight sketch affords us. From their being superiorly intelligent, concerning forests and woodlands, from their having been employed to survey the New Forest, in 1787,-and from their urging the public, as well as individuals, to propagate timber, one is led to the idea that they were professional men, in the line of planting and wood surveying.

The following extract is a sufficient apology, for the deficiency in useful information, concerning the agriculture of Hampshire.

P. 7. When we first undertook to report the state of the Agriculture of the County of Hants, we were not altogether aware of the time and attention it would require, to make a complete and particular statement of the whole county; and we find from experience, the more we investigated the subject, the wider the field expanded to our view. Nevertheless, had our other avocations, permitted it, we would with pleasure have entered into the minutiæ of every parish in the district, and have made a detailed, and not a general report, on the state of its Agriculture, and the means of its Improvement. But as a that was impossible, we must request the Board to accept the following sketch, which is considerably shortened, in consequence of our having been robbed of our portmanteau, &c. containing a considerable number of papers, by some footpads, on our return from the survey. If there should,

should, however, be found any information in the following sheets, that may tend to the improvement of this county, or of the kingdom at large, it will afford us ample compensation for the trouble and expence we have sustained in the course of making this survey, of which we hope the Board will accept; and if at any future period the Board should have occasion for a further investigation of the subject, we shall be extremely happy to render them all the assistance in our power."

The number of pages fortyfour.

NATURAL ECONOMY.

EXTENT.-P. 9.

XTENT.-P. 9. "It is sixty miles long, thirty miles broad, and 150 miles in circumference; containing 1481 square miles, or 1,212,000 acres." (?)

SOILS.-Messrs. Driver appear to have paid especial attention to this material object of Report.-P. 10. "In the course of our survey, we found a great variety of soils, but by far the greatest proportion tending to a chalk, particularly upon the uplands; nevertheless, there is a considerable proportion of rich land, and water meadows, which are very productive. On the north side towards Berkshire, the land is in general deep and a good staple, produces great crops of corn, and considerable quantities of oak and elm."

"Towards Basingstoke, the land upon the top of the hills is in general very deep, strong land, with chalk underneath, which produces large crops, particularly in dry seasons, as it never burns."

P. 11. "The land towards Whitchurch is generally chalky, with a thin staple, but produces good crops of corn and saintfoine."

P. 12. "Towards the New Forest the land changes from a chalk, to a loam and gravel."

In the neighbourhood of Lymington, the land is very irregular, the hills in general poor, and the meadows rich." P. 13. "About Redbridge" (at the head of the estuary of Southampton)" there are some valuable salt marshes." "Towards Winchester and Alresford, the land is high and chalky, with a thin staple, and continues much the same till you approach Alton, where are some considerable beech woods, which run very high and straight.".

P. 15. There is a considerable quantity of salt marshes towards the sea," (near Portsmouth) " of a fertile quality, which let from 30s. to 50s. per acre.

"Toward

"Towards Petersfield the land is more open, with a considerable quantity of down, some of which is very good."

P. 14. "Towards Fareham and Warnford the land continues much the same, the hills are chalky and pretty much covered with beech woods."

"Towards Portsmouth, the county is more inclosed, and interspersed with timber and underwood; the land in genefal being stronger and deeper."

I do not mean to intimate that the above remarks, on soils, are particularly luminous. But they serve to show, that the Board's Surveyors were not altogether inattentive to the cultivated lands of the county.

POLITICAL ECONOMY.

APPROPR

PPROPRIATION.-P. 29. " Waste Lands.-We cannot take this subject into consideration, without expressing our astonishment, that century after century should be suffered to elapse, without some efficient measures being taken to cultivate the waste lands of this kingdom, particularly those belonging to the Crown, when it is a very clear case, that if they were properly managed, they would produce sufficient to pay a very considerable part of the interest of the national debt. In treating upon this subject, we do not mean to confine ourselves to this county, as the same argument will hold good in every part of the kingdom, and although there is a vast quantity in Hampshire, yet we apprehend more will be found in other counties, particularly in the adjoining county of Dorset."

After proposing the improvement of those public waste lands; by applying "the richest to agriculture, and the rest for planting ;"-the Reporters proceed to speak of the private wastes of Hampshire.

P. 30. "What we have hitherto said upon this subject, relates to the waste lands belonging to Government. We shall now briefly state our opinion on that which is private property, of which there is an immense quantity throughout this kingdom. The same argument will nearly apply to this as to the other, excepting that it is, in general, poor land; in which case, the general observation is, that it produces nothing when inclosed. This argument may hold good when applied to agriculture, but cannot with respect to planting, as we can easily prove, that each acre, at the end of twenty-five years, will yield at least 100l. worth of timber and fire-wood, supposing the whole cut down at that

period;

period; or if properly thinned, the remainder with continue to improve in the same proportion. We should therefore hope, the great advantages arising therefrom, would be a sufficient inducement to gentlemen possessing that species of property, to pursue it upon an extensive scale; indeed, we cannot conceive that any gentleman can sit down easy, and say he has discharged his duty to his family, when he is conscious he has neglected to pursue those measures, which, in a few years, would increase his property so amazingly."

The next touch on parochial wastes ;—and, having recommended a "general inclosure bill," they enumerate "the principal waste lands in the County of Hants, exclusive of the forests."

P. 31. East Woodhay, near Newbury, contains about 1200 acres ; it is principally fed with young cattle, and some few horses are bred there, but the horses are of little value; a few good cows, however, are bred.

"This would make good arable land, and some part good meadow; if inclosed would be worth about 78. 6d. per ann. At present it is of very little value, as there is no timber. The Bishop of Winchester is lord of the manor.

"King's Clear contains about 1000 acres, upon which young cattle of a good sort are now bred. If this were inclosed it would make good convertible land either for the plough or for feeding, but principally for feeding, and would be worth about 158, per acre.

"There is a considerable quantity of waste lands adjoining the above commons, which continue through the county towards Berkshire.

"Froxfield Barnet Common, containing near 1000 acres, at present produces very little, but if inclosed would be worth 88. or 10s. per acre. The parishioners have wished to have it inclosed, but upon application to the lord of the manor, who has the great tythes, he refuses to have an allotment of land in lieu of these tythes, for which reason the inclosure, at present, we understand, is dropt.

"At Botley, near Southampton, is a considerable tract of land, about 7000, or 8000 acres, of which a great part is very useful land for cultivation, and some parts very fit for plantations of firs, timber, and underwood. It now produces very little, but if inclosed would be worth about 10s. per

acre.

"Waltham Chase contains about 2000 acres, belonging to the Bishop of Winchester, which, if properly attended to, would produce a great quantity of fine timber; and a considerable proportion would make fine pasture and meadow land, which would be worth at least 20s. per acre.

There

is also a considerable quantity of good corn land, which would be worth from 10s. to 12s. per acre.

"Bagshot Heath contains a very considerable tract of land, the greater part of which is in Surry: upon a rough calculation, between 2 and 3000 acres may be in this county. It is principally of a very light sandy soil, and produces very little. If plantations of firs were made, they would thrive well, and become profitable.

"The total quantity of waste lands in Hants, exclusive of the forests, but including 5,675 acres in the Isle of Wight, is supposed to be 104,845 acres."

Forests. It is among forests, woodlands, and wastes, we find Messrs. Driver feelingly alive to their mission.

P. 34. "There are several considerable forests in this county, viz. the New Forest, Alice Holt, Woolmer, and Bere, which we shall describe separately, beginning first with the New Forest, which is by far the most extensive.

"The New Forest is situated on the south side of Hamp shire; it was formerly bounded on the east by Southampton river, and on the south by the British Channel, being near thirty miles in length, and ninety in circumference; but since the disafforestations by Henry the Third and Edward the First, its boundaries are much reduced, and now only extends from Godshill, on the north-west, to the sea, on the south-east, about twenty miles; and from Hardley, on the east, to King-wood, on the west, about fifteen miles; containing within those limits about 92,365 acres, the whole of which does not now belong to the Crown: as several manors and freehold estates, to the amount of 24,797 acres, are private property; about 625 acres are copyhold, belonging to his Majesty's manor of Lyndhurst; 1004 acres are leasehold, held under the Crown; 902 acres are encroachments; 1193 acres are held by the master-keepers and groomkeepers, attached to their respective lodges; and the remaining 63,844 acres are the woods and waste lands of

the forest.

"In all the freeholds subject to the regard of the forest, which are of the nature of purlieus, the Crown reserves certain rights.

"The copyholds within the manor of Lyndhurst entirely belong to the Crown, and are granted to tenants by copy of Court Roll, according to the custom of the manor. The timber on this manor is also the property of the Crown. The leasehold estates in this forest are entirely the property of the crown.

"There are a considerable number of encroachments, chiefly made by poor people, excepting those which the proprietors of neighbouring estates have added to their

own