A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



they were excellent milkers, giving eight gallons each a day. Unfortunately 

 the breed is not mentioned, but it may be noted that Marshall in his work 

 on Yorkshire (1796) stated that the ancient breed of black cattle was the 

 most important breed of North Yorkshire, and that although mostly horned 

 some of them were polled or hornless. 



The sheep were very profitable on this farm ; on an average there were 

 three lambs to every two ewes, while each ewe's wool sold at 6j'. Most of 

 the grass land was drained with stone drains, which were cut about 2J ft. 

 deep, while the drains were from 4 to 7 yards apart. In laying land down 

 to grass the seeds sown per acre were about 171b. white clover and 4 bushels 

 cleaned hayseeds, along with small quantities of ribgrass and trefoil. Cabbages 

 had also just been introduced on this farm with success as a field crop. 



In describing the general farming of the district, Young states that rents 

 were about i6j-. an acre, that rentals varied from about jC^o to jC^°°' ^^^ 

 that the common courses of farming were either (i) fallow, (2) wheat, (3) oats, 

 or (i) turnips, (2) barley, (3) seeds. The amounts of seed sown and the 

 average crops were as follow : — 



Young notes that they knew nothing of red clover. 



The cost of stocking a farm was estimated at £^ an acre, and land sold 

 at thirty-five years' purchase. Tithes were generally compounded, wheat 

 paying 6s. an acre, barley 4.S. 6^., and hay 2s. Poor rates were 6d. in the £. 

 Labourers' wages were is. a day in the winter and up to 2s. a day in harvest, 

 while dairy-maids received ^^5, boys £6, and men from ^(^i i to ^14 annually. 

 In connexion with this he estimated that the average value of servants' board, 

 washing and lodging was £g a year. The labourers' house rents were about 

 35J., and their firing about 25^. a year. Candles and soap were expensive at 

 6J. a pound, while meat of all kinds was about Tt^d., butter 71^., cheese 2j^., 

 and rye bread id. a pound. Farm carts cost about jTj 10s., ploughs about 

 22s., and harrows about ioj. ; there were no four-wheeled farm-wagons, 

 and rollers were nearly unknown. 



Proceeding from Raby to Durham, he found much good land rented on 

 the average at about 22J-. an acre, the farm rents being as a rule under jC^oo 

 a year ; and again between Durham and Newcastle he noted that ' land is in 

 general good and lets very high, even round Newcastle extravagantly, from 

 40J. to £^ an acre.' Further on he contrasts the agriculture of Northumber- 

 land with that of Durham, and states that the farms are much larger in the 

 former county, and that the small inclosed farms are well farmed, but the 

 larger waste farms poorly managed and in poor condition. 



This account by Young shows that the farming of that time in the 

 county was of a simple and primitive character, and also that the com- 

 paratively small amount of inclosed land was farmed by a frugal and 

 industrious class of farmers, whilst the owners of a few well-managed farms 



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