By T. H. Baker. 259 
Mere is a small Market Town 
situate immediately under the N. W. 
Point of Wiltshire Downs, Part of 
the Lands extending South into 
Gillingham Vale and part Northward 
(or N. E.) towards Maiden Bradley 
and Kingston Deverill, some way on 
the Downs. 
the Meadow inclosed, the Arable not 
inclosed. 
Mere Down farm is several, but 
Arable not inclosed. 
APPLICATION oF LAND aND MeEtHop oF MANAGEMENT AND MANURES USED. 
The four comon fields of Mere are 
cropt thus :— 
Wheat. 
Barley. 
Clover mowed and usually seeded. 
: Clover fed. 
Most of the Landholders keep 
separate Flocks and feed the Fields in 
Districts settled among themselves. 
The little farmers feed a certain Dis- 
trict with a Comon flock. 
They have chiefly some Grass In- 
closures on the South of the Town to 
each farm on which they mow Hay 
and some of them lett Dairies. 
They feed the Downs in Common. 
The Common fields and Comon are 
reckoned dangerous for Sheep in Wet 
Seasons for want of Draining. Having 
_ no Water Meadows, they generally 
keep their Ewes and Lambs on Hay 
and Water—and having no Turnips 
and few inclosed Pastures they usually 
winter their Lambs out. 
Stock KEPT & REMARKS THEREON. 
Sheep. Wiltshire long horned and 
in the present uninclosed state of the 
fields cannot be improved. 
No. about 3200. 
Cows. A Mixture of all kinds but 
chiefly Long horned. 
Working beasts. Chiefly Horses. 
Seldom any Oxen kept. 
In the LowLands there is a Stratum 
of clayey Loam—next a Stratum of 
Flint—and then Blue Marle or rather 
Clay, which runs South-west and in 
the next Parish [Knoyle] becomes 
pure Marle. 
This Clay or Marle is reckoned here 
a good Manure, but they have so little 
inclosed Meadow that very little of 
it is used. 
Chalk is used as a Manure on the 
Sands of Mere in Zeals Tything. 
The Commonable Lands of this 
Parish would improve much by an 
Inclosure. The Chalk from the Hills 
and the Clay (or Marle) in the Valley 
might then be used to great advantage 
on whatis now the Comon Meads and 
Comons. 
The Comon fields are manured at 
present (but in a very bad way) with 
the Sheep fold. 
GENERAL RemarKs. 
Mr. Grove’s Tenant takes up the 
greatest part of the Corn and Hay. 
Tythes in kind. He letts his own 
Farms (viz., Zeals) Tythe free. 
The Vicar takes Tythes of Clover 
Seed, of which a considerable quantity 
is raised in this parish, even in the 
Comon fields. He has a modus of 
2d. a Cow and 4d. a Calf. 
Sir Rd. Hoare has a good Wood at 
Chaddenwych, but little Timber in it, 
and Mr. Grove a good Wood at Zeales 
with a considerable quantity of Oak 
Timber in it. 
Timber in the Hedges chiefly Elm 
and very good, 
