Fort. The other eight were Castellated mansions; but formed for great strength and security. These were, Candfield and Hedingham, belonging to the De Veres, Earls of Oxford. Clavering and Raleigh, belonging to Suene, of Essex, who possessed besides these, fifty-three other Lordships in this county. Ongar, belonging to Richard de Lucy. Pleshy, first possessed by the Duke of Gloucester, High Constable of England. Stanstead-Montfichet, belonging to De Montfichet; and Walden, to Geoffrey de Mandeville at the time of the Domesday Survey. These very formidable fortresses, though once the pride of the nobility, and terror of the peasantry, are mostly razed to the ground; the only parts remaining are their high keeps, and wide fosses. At Colchester, Hadleigh, Hedingham, and Walden, some parts of the buildings or walls remain. This county is bounded by Suffolk and Cambridgeshire on the north, by the counties of Hertford and Middlesex on the west, by the river Thames on the south, and by the Sea on the east. Its extent, from east to west, is estimated at sixty miles; and from north to south, at about fifty: its circumference is computed at 225 miles. It is divided into twenty parts, of which fourteen are hundreds; five, half-hundreds; and one, a Royal liberty. These are subdivided into about 400 parishes and townships, and twenty-five towns; containing, according to the late official report, 39,398 houses, and 226,437 inhabitants; of whom 111,356 are males, and 115,081 females. Essex composes part of that tract of country on the eastern side of England, which forms the largest connected space of level ground in the whole Island; not one lofty eminence or rocky ridge being found in several contiguous counties. The surface of Essex is not, however, totally flat, having many gentle hills and dales; and towards the north-west, whence most of the rivers proceed, the country rises, and presents a continued inequality of surface, The most level tracts are those of the southern and eastern hundreds. The sea-coast is broken into a series of islets and peninsu las, deeply cut in by arms of the sea, and exhibiting evident tokens of the force and effects of that restless element. Extensive salt Q3 salt marshes border most of the coast, the greater part of which is protected by embankments. The banks of the Thames, and the lower part of the sea, are likewise low and marshy. This county lies under a proverbial imputation of being particularly unhealthy; but this character can only apply to a small part of it; as the middle and northern districts are justly noted for a fine dry soil, with a wholesome clear air. That part known by the name of the Hundreds of Esser, bordering on the south coast, from its low and marshy situation, and exposure to the easterly winds and sea. fogs, is certainly inimical to health, and many intermitting fevers proceed from these causes. Essex derives many advantages from its maritime trade, as well as from its vicinity to the Metropolis. The conveniency of watercarriage, and goodness of its roads, give it a commercial superiority over many other counties. Its surface is generally level; the greater part is inclosed, and rendered highly productive by the skilful management of the agriculturalists. The principal productions are wheat, barley, oats, beans, peas, turnips, tares, rape, mustard, rye-grass, and trefoil. Many acres are also appropriated to the cultivation of hops, carraway, coriander, teasel, and various horticultural plants and roots. The latter are confined to the large towns, and to the lands adjoining the Metropolis. Almost every species of soil is to be found within the limits of Essex, from the most stubborn to the mildest loam. The north-west side is characterized by a chalky substratum; but the east and south sides abound with marshy and boggy land, having abundance of gravel intermixed. Of waste lands and forests, Messrs. Griggs'* computed the county to contain fifteen thousand acres; the greater part of which, they observe, is capable of producing corn. Since their report, however, many districts have been inclosed and cultivated. From the extent and variety of soil of this county, it is totally impossible to preserve one uniform system of farming: the most established and prevailing mode is described as follows by the above gentlemen. "In the eastern part, the land is chiefly of a strong * General View of the Agriculture of Essex. every third strong good staple, and, excepting the marshes, and here and there a small portion of meadow, is under the plough, and produces very considerable returns of every sort of grain and pulse.' The most approved mode of treating the heavy land here, as in every other part of the country, is to winter fallow it or fourth, and, in some parts, every second or third year; after which, in the eastern parts, oats or barley are sown, and the land laid down with clover, trefoil and rye-grass; and having lain one year, is again broken up soon after Michaelmas, and wheat is sown; after which, if the land is clean, and in good condition, the farmer takes a crop of beans, and then fallows again. The next rotation frequently is wheat, beans well hoed, and then wheat again. On the lighter lands are sown, first, turnips, for which a fallow is always made, and the land then manured. Barley, sown with clover, &c. which is fed off the ensuing year, succeeds the crop of turnips; then wheat upon the clover lay; and after that, peas: but where the clover fails, (a circumstance not unusual,) the land is considered unfit for wheat, and peas are sown in its stead. Towards the middle of Essex, and the northern part bordering upon Suffolk, the soil varies considerably; some being light, with chalky clay, or gravelly sand, at a foot or a foot and half below the surface; other parts are moist and binding, affording a quick vegetation, and requiring constant attention in the summer months, to prevent it exhausting itself by a spontaneous produce. The plough is seen to occupy a large part of this district, as little more meadow or old pasture grounds are found, than will supply hay and feed for the horses on the farms, and feed for a few cows kept for the purpose of suckling, and dry cattle and sheep, which are principally bought in one year, and sold out the next. Here every sort of grain, pulse, and artificial grass, is found, with some well-managed and productive hop-grounds, which, from the vast expence of cultivating, and uncertain pro-. duce, are kept in the hands of the most opulent landholders, to whom they are, upon the whole, lucrative." The centre of Es Q 4 Griggs' General View of the Agriculture of Essex. sex sex is too distant from the pits to procure chalk; but lime, clay, and other manures, are applied advantageously to the soil. In the north-west part of the county, the land is rendered most productive by one crop only, and them fallow; except, indeed, where it will bear turnips or clover. Here is but little meadow or pasture; but, in consequence of frequent fallows, very great crops of wheat, oats, and barley, are frequently obtained. The latter grain is malted on the spot, and sent to the London market, where it is in high esteem. In the western part, bordering the river Lea, and including the forests of Epping, and Hainault, is found an intermixture of soils, from a wet, heavy, tough clay, upon a tile earth, to a light, tender, thin soil upon gravel. The tile earth is often used in the manufacturing of coarse earthen pots, tiles, &c. Exclusive of the forests, the greater part of this district is pasture land, appropriated to the dairy, and suckling of calves. Many districts on the east side of the county are extremely productive in the various crops of wheat, beans, oats, cole-seed, rape, coriander, and mustard. "The wheat is not unfrequently found to rise to a load an acre; oats (particularly the Poland) to eleven or twelve quarters; and beans, and other corn, in proportion. Some of this land has been known to produce five or six of the most exhausting crops successively. Wheat has been sown three suc◄ cessive years upon the same field, and the crops upon an average have amounted to four quarters per acre. This part of the county, in particular, is tilled with great spirit and judgment, though at a very great expence." Though Essex is not highly celebrated for its Dairies, yet those in the parish of Epping, and its vicinity, are famous for the richness of their cream and butter. The butter is mostly sent to London, where it bears a high character and price. In the selection of cows for the dairy, those of Holderness, Leicester, and Derby, are usually preferred; though the Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincoln, Welsh, and other breeds, are often indiscriminately blended. The common process of making the Epping butter, is to let the milk stand twenty-four hours, when the cream is skimmed off, and the milk is drawn into vessels (not lined with lead) of an increased depth, depth, (this is called doubling,) where it remains for about twenty hours, during which time the rising cream is occasionally skimmed off. It is afterwards put into deeper vessels, (which is called trebling,) when all the remaining cream, or rich milk, is separated from it. The butter made from these last skimmings, or after fleetings, is of a paler color, and inferior quality to that made from the first skimmed cream; is churned separately, and sold at lower prices. The skimmed milk is commonly applied to the feeding and fattening of young pigs and porkers; and it appears, from repeated experiments, that the fat of these animals is firmer, and "vastly superior to that of hogs fattened upon peas or meal."* On a calculation, that two acres of prime pasture, at twentythree shillings each, will support a cow one year, and making allowance for all usual expences and receipts, on a dairy of twenty cows, Mr. Vancouver makes it appear, that the annual profits of such a dairy will be 1081. Os. 8d. To produce this profit, however, it is necessary that the dairy be of prime quality, and regu lated by the most skilful and attentive management. Each cow is allowed to give suck for forty weeks in the year. In the first twenty-six, its milk will produce six pounds of butter per week; and in the other fourteen, about four pounds per week; thus yielding about 212 pounds annually. The milk from each cow is also estimated to support twelve pigs, and twenty calves, during the above period. Essex is proverbially distinguished for its Calves, of which more are bred or fattened here than in any other English county. The stock of cows is chiefly appropriated to the dairy, and grazing; to, them may be added, suckling as an object of great attention with the Essex farmer. The North Wales cows are, by some persons, preferred for this purpose; but the Devonshire breed has been found greatly superior to all others; "not only for the dairy, and suckling, but in their disposition to keep in good order during the term of their milk, and in their great aptitude to feed, or to fatten afterwards thus uniting at once, all those qualities which are supposed * Vancouver's General View of the Agriculture of Essex, |