RUTLANDSHIRE. 





Rutland- 

 hire. 



The general aspect of the county i extremely beau- 

 tiful, being diversified by small and gently rising hilh, 

 which arc intersected by woody vajlien about half a 

 mile in width, so that in travelling fresh pronpects con- 

 tinually open on the view. In the centie of the coun- 

 ty is the pleasant and fertile vale of C.iimose, which, 

 i! u t may trust a conjecture of Camdcn's, derives its 

 name from cod macs, which signify in British a woody 

 plain. To the north of this vale the ground rises ; and 

 on leaving Oakhain, and ascending Hurleigh hill, there 

 is an extensive level which stretches over all the north- 

 ern district, and furms a kind of table land, looking 

 down on the fertile plains of the surrounding counties ; 

 the eastern part of the shire is more diversified ; the 

 southern district consists of one extensive open valley, 

 ing into Northamptonshire ; and the western 

 parts are well wooded, and gradually sink into the 

 p loins of Leicester. 



This county is considered as being well watered for 

 agricultural purposes, chiefly by springs and ponds. 

 The only rivers of any note are the Guash or Wash, 

 ami Wflhnd. The former rises in Leicestershire, en- 

 ters IJutlaiid at Greatham, and flowing in an easterly 

 direction through the centre of the county, divides it 

 into two equal parts, and, after a course of eighteen or 

 twenty mi!e, falls into the VVelland a little below 

 Stamford. The VVelland also has its source in Leices- 

 tershire, and first touches upon Rutland near Caldecot, 

 whence it flows with a winding course towards the 

 north-east, forming for a considerable distance the 

 boundary between Rutland and Northampton, after 

 which it passes Stamford, where it becomes navigable, 

 crosses the fens of Lincoln, and falls into the Wash. 



The internal communication has been considerably 

 facilitated by the Oakham canal, which was commen- 

 ced in 1793, and completed in 1803. It begins in 

 the vicinity of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, en- 

 ters Rutland near Teigh, and proceeds in a south- 

 easterly direction, passing by Market Overton, Bar- 

 row, Catmose, and Burley, until it approaches Oak- 

 ham, the centre of the county, on the north side, where 

 it terminates. 



The climate of Rutlandshire does not differ material- 

 ly from the other inland counties ; it is considered as 

 mild, pleasant, and extremely healthy. According to 

 a very accurate journal kept by Mr. Barker, the annual 

 average quantity of rain for eight successive years was 

 2 t.6'1 inches. Chalybeate springs abound throughout 

 the county, some of which are very strongly impreg- 

 nated. There is a considerable variety of soils, not 

 only in different parts of the county, but often on the 

 same farm. According to Mr. Parkinson, they in general 

 consist of red land, good clay, poor clay, hazel earth, 

 white stony land, blaek clay, and gravelly clay. The 

 east and south-east districts are of a shallow staple upon 

 limestone rock, with a small mixture of cold woodland, 

 and clay soil ; the other parts consist of a strong red- 

 dish loam, except the vale of Catmose, which is com- 

 posed of good clay, red loam, and a mixture of clay 

 and red loam. The substratum ot the whole county, at 

 d;fferent depths, is a strong blue clay. 



Owing to this diversity of soil, different systems of 

 agriculture are necessary, besides the inclosed arable 

 lands are under a different mode of husbandry from 

 those which are uninclosed. The former, which imt- 

 ly consist of the light soils of limestone bases and red 

 loam, are under the Norfolk system of four years' 

 rotation, and without feeding off, except in the turnip 

 crops ; it is usual to take two crops of spring corn 





!.i caking up the clover, then turnip*, next barky 

 with ryf-graus and clover; then three or four ymrs 

 heep feeding, when it is broken up again for spring 

 corn. The uninclosed arable lands are fctill under the 

 old cour.e of two crops end a fallow. In the follow. 

 ing seasons the dead fallows are sowed with wheat, 

 and some of the light soils with barley ; the second 

 crops generally consist of pease, or of a mixture of 

 beans and peahe. The size of farms varies consider- 

 ably in this county, but in general they are very small ; 

 a farm of L.300 or L.400 a-year being esteemed very 

 large. The average rent of lands, when Mr. Parkin- 

 son made his survey, was a guinea per acre, but it has 

 since increased considerably. Nearly all the land U 

 let from year to year; a very small number of farms 

 being let on leases of 14 or 21 years. There is no 

 breed of cattle peculiar to this county ; but considtr- 

 able numbers are brought from other counties, and 

 after one summer's grazing, are sent to the London 

 market. The whole number of feheep and lambs in 

 1807 was 81,146, consisting of old and new Leiceeters, 

 a few Lincoln?, and some South Downs. 



There are no manufactures of any consequence in Manufac- 

 this county, which is ascribed to the want of water, tun*. 

 and scarcity of fuel. 



The minerals of this county are so trifling that they Mineral*. 

 scarcely require to be noticed; at Kelton excellent 

 stone is procured for building ; and in many places 

 there is stone for lime of a soft and hard species ; theae 

 stones are deserving the attention of the naturalist, as 

 they contain a great number of marine substances, and 

 are of various degrees of tenacity from indurated clay 

 to the consistence of stone. The presence of iron is 

 indicated by the chalybeate springs, and by the red 

 ochrey colour of the soil in several places. This pro- 

 perty of the soil has been greatly exaggerated ; an old 

 writer states, that it is so red that it stains the wool of 

 the sheep that feed on it of a red colour. 



The early history of Rutlandshire can scarcely be 

 separated from that of the neighbouring districts. It 

 originally formed part of the territories of theCorrtani, 

 and after the subjugation of the kingdom by the Ro- 

 mans, it was included in their province of Flavia Cae- 

 sariensis. During the Saxon heptarchy, it formed part 

 of the kingdom of Mercia, and after the union of the 

 different nations under one monarch, it seems to have 

 belonged to the crown, being bequeathed by Edward 

 the Confessor to his queen Edith, and after her death, 

 to Westminster Abbey. After the Norman invasion 

 Rutland was granted by William the Conqueror to 

 his niece Judith, and several others of his nearest re- 

 lations. At that period it does not seem to have been 

 of the same extent as at present, part of i^ being in 

 Nottinghamshire, as appears from its entry in Domes- 

 day book. 



The population of Rutland has remained for a long Population. 

 time nearly stationary. According to the various par- 

 liamentary returns, the number of inhabitants in 1801 

 amounted to 16,356; the number of houses were 5274, 

 which were occupied by S563 families; in 1811, the 

 population was 16.380; and in 1821, it had increased 

 to 18,487, of whom 9223 were males, and 9264- fe- 

 males ; the number of houses inhabited were 3589, 

 and the families 3936. The poor's rates are com- 

 paratively low, a circumstance which is ascribed to 

 many of the cottagers being allowed as much land as 

 keeps one or two cows. There are several friendly 

 societies, and one entitled the Society for Promoting 

 Industry which has been extremely beneficial to the 



