62 ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL LABOURER 



Edward Kerrison, a landowner, delivered a speech. After 

 the speech one of the delegates proposed a hearty vote of 

 thanks to Sir Edward and Lady Caroline Kerrison, which 

 was carried with acclamation. 



During the lock-out poaching increased and many a 

 gamekeeper paid 6d. for a pheasant's egg without inquiring 

 where it was obtained, even though he had a shrewd sus- 

 picion that it came from his employer's estate. Violence, 

 though, was seldom resorted to in conflicts with keepers. 

 Instead of beating or shooting keepers they feed a lawyer 

 by subscription, and paid the fines Imposed by the same 

 co-operative method. 1 



Among the landowners hostile to the Union was the 

 Marquis of Bristol, who was very angry at Arch's state- 

 ment that the aristocracy had stolen 7,000,000 of acres 

 from the people within a certain period. " These en- 

 closures," said the Marquis, with righteous indignation, 

 " had been based upon Acts of Parliament. The title to 

 such land was as sacred as though it had been bought in. 

 the market." 



Although the Norfolk farmers did not show the same 

 hostility as the Suffolk farmers, and were paying a cash 

 wage of 155. instead of the 135. of Suffolk, they formed an 

 association on June 20, 1874, at Norwich, " to defend the 

 interests of the occupiers of the soil against the oppres- 

 sion of the Agricultural Labourers' Union." About 

 500 farmers were present, with Lord Walsingham in 

 the "chair. Lord Walsingham fortunately advised the 

 farmers not to talk about stamping out the Union or 

 instituting a lock-out. 



" Now, as reasonable men," he said, " the farmers could 

 not deny this right of combination ; and if a proper tone 

 on this point had in the first instance been taken by the 

 farmers in the eastern counties it was not improbable that 

 all disagreement might have been prevented." 



There is no doubt that the newly introduced mowing 

 machine at haysel the feeding off by stock in many a 

 meadow intended for hay, broke the back of the Union at 



1 The Great Lock-out, 1874. 



