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parifbes, in which there are {till common-fields ; 
and thofe in a very bad ftate of hufbandry. 
The greater part of the common-fields lie on 
the ftone-brafh land, on the North-weft fide of the 
county; and others in the deep, ftrong land, from 
Calne by Broadtown, towards Highworth; but the 
commons lie chiefly ina North-eaft line from Weft- 
bury to Cricklade, through the centre of the richeft 
land in the diftrict. 
There are numerous inftances, in which the com- 
mon-field arable land lets for lefs than half the 
price of the inclofed arable adjoining; and the 
commons are very feldom reckoned worth any thing, 
in valuing any eftate that has a right on them. 3 
Although great part of this diftrict appears to 
have been, at no very remote period, in a common- 
able ftate; and although the improvement on the 
lands, heretofore inclofed, has been fo very great, 
the progrefs of inclofure therein has been very flow 
during the laft fifty years. The reafon feems to 
have been, the very great difficulty and expence of 
making new roads in a country naturally wet and 
deep, and where the old publick roads were, till 
within the laft few years, almoft impaffable. But 
this reafon having now nearly ceafed, by the intro~ 
duction of feveral new turnpike-roads through the 
diftriét, and by the fpirit which now fo generally 
prevails of making good the approaches to them 
from the interior villages, it is to be hoped, that 
02 fo 
