532] 
except here and there a small piece 
which the landlords permit the te- 
nants to break up occasionally, 
when it becomes very mossy ; but 
then this is laid down again usually 
at the end of three or four years. 
‘There are'no woods; but there are 
some sinall plantations of oak, ash, 
and elm of no very long date. 
‘There is abundance of ash in the 
hedge-rowsS, and scarcely any other 
tree, The soil is a strong clay ; 
there is no waste ground vin the 
lordship; but it is not cultivated, 
in my opinion, to the best advan- 
tage. They depend chiefly on their 
dairies; they breed, however, very 
fine sheep, famous for the white- 
ness of their fleeces, which weigh 
from seven to nine pounds: they 
breed also fine horned cattle ; but 
the lordship, in general, is not 
good feeding ground. 
© This lordship is remarkable for 
having first made the best cheese 
perhaps in the world, commonly 
known by the name of Stilton 
cheese, from its having been origi- 
nally bought up, and made known, 
by Cooper Thornhill, the landlord 
of the Bellinmat Stilton, It began 
to be made here by Mrs. Orton, 
about the year 1730, in small 
quantities ; for at first it was sup- 
posed that it could only be made 
from the milk of the cows which 
fed in one clese, now called Orton’s 
close; but this was afterwards 
found to be an error, In 17:6 it 
was made only by three persons, and 
that in small quantities; but it is 
now made, not oniy from one, 
but from almost es ¢ry close in this 
parish, and in many of the neigh. 
bouring ones. It is well known 
that this sort of cheese is made in 
the shape, and of the size, of a 
collar of brawn. It is extremely 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1706. 
rich, because they mix among the 
new milk as much cream as it will 
bear, Jt requires much care and 
attendance; and, being in great 
request, it fetches 10d. a pound on 
the ‘spot, and 1s. in the London 
market. 
‘ ‘There is no stone, gravel, or 
sand, in this lordship, except a lit- 
tle sand-stone on the side cf Burs 
row-hills: it is mostly a strong blue 
clay ; and in some parts of it is 2 
good brick-earth. There is only 
one spring, and that a chalybeate 5 
it lies high, in a close belonging to 
the vicar, known by the name of 
the Spring-close; it runs over a 
great part of the year, and dis- 
charges itself into the valley, where 
the village lics. Nobody ever at- 
tempted to sink for a well in this 
parish, till, in the winter of 1777 
and 1778, Edward Wigley Hartop, 
Esq. dug and succeeded. . He pe- 
netrated through a bed of stiff blue 
clay ;/ and at the depth of 66 feet 
the water gushed in, when, I ap. 
prehend, the workmen were com. 
ing to the limestone rock, by their 
having thrown out some fragments 
of blue stone. ‘To the ‘depth of 
ro feet were frequent nodules of - : 
chalk ; at that depth the clay was 
foll of small selenites. At 30 feet 
dcep the clay was found to be full 
of peétens, and, other shells very 
pertect, but extremely tender. No- 
dules of /vdus helmonisi were inter- 
spersed ; ammonites of different 
specivs in great quantities, gry- 
phites, and other shells ; and plates 
of a clear foliaceous mica, resem- 
bling Muscoyy glass. Iam informe 
ed that the water did not prove 
good, and that little or no use ig 
made of this well. 
© T have not found any natural 
prodwctions, cither animal, veges 
: table; 
