AN ENQUIRY. 41 



£21,000, aud this was knocked down at about 

 £10,000. lu May, 1901, an estate of G28 acres 

 of arable and pasture land at Thorganby was pur- 

 chased for £22,270, and vvdien it was valued for 

 probate in May, 1904, the value was returned at 

 only £8,830. Another case is reported from 

 Blankney Dales. A house and buildings and 

 several closes containing 103 a. 3 r. 23 p. in June, 

 1828, fetched £0,120, and £5,000 was advanced 

 upon it on mortgage. On April 6th this year, 

 however, it sold at £2,800. 



" In all parts of the district the same lament- 

 able state of aiiairs prevails. A farm at Bin- 

 brook, containing about 131 acres, vras purchased 

 in 1881 for £6,000. In October, 1901, it was re- 

 sold for exactly half the suin. The small land- 

 owners are also suffering in like degree, for a 

 farm of 31 acres at Moortown bought about 1860 

 for £1,630, recently sold for only £500; 79 acres 

 of land at Barlings, which cost £5,500, only real- 

 ised £2,100; and 64 acres at Middle Easen, cost- 

 ing £3,200 or £3,300, fetched £1,500. A similar 

 figure to this was all that could be obtained for 

 another at IS'orth and South Somercotes, vfhich 

 was bought in October, 1872, for £3,800. Two 

 closes of arable land at Middle Sasen, purchased 

 in 1875 for £505, sold two months ago at £300 ; 

 and a small holding at Basingham, for which 

 £1,050 v/as given in May, 1880, had to be parted 

 with last October for £500. xVnother little farm 

 at Maltby, for which £1,335 was given, £1,000 

 being obtained on mortgage, was sold in October, 

 1901, for £550; and 12 a. 3 r. 15 p. of laud at 



