CUSTOMS OF COUNTIES. 



year, and for half of the preceding. These, 

 with the hop-poles, make the payments required 

 of an incoming tenant rather heavy. 



Leicester is chiefly farmed by yearly tenants, 

 who enter at Lady-day, and occasionally at 

 Michaelmas. They are not allowed to break j 

 up their pastures or sell either hay or straw. 

 Sometimes they engage to lay an annual amount 

 of lime on the land. 



The outgoing tenant is paid for all clear fal- 

 lows, for which he is allowed three ploughings ; 

 but if he has taken a green crop, he is allowed 

 nothing. For his wheat crop if it has been 

 sown on a clear fallow, for instance he is 

 allowed for seed and labour, and for the plough- 

 ings, but otherwise only for seed and labour. 

 He is allowed for his seed crop, labour, and 

 seed; but nothing for a turnip fallow, either 

 fed or pulled: if he leaves at Michaelmas, 

 however, he is allowed for his turnips one 

 year's rent. The incomer cannot enter to 

 plough without permission till Lady-day. 



Lincoln. Farms commonly held by lease of 

 from 7 to 14 years from Lady-day. 



The tenant is usually restrained from selling 

 either hay or straw, or from taking more than 

 two white crops to a fallow. These restric- 

 tions, however, do not apply to the fen land. 



The outgoing tenant has commonly the right 

 of sowing spring-grain until Lady-day, and of 

 taking an off-going crop, both of wheat and 

 other corn, all of which, however, he must 

 thrash on the premises. But a very common 

 way is for the outgoer to be paid for all his 

 crops, the value of seed and labour, and also 

 for the manure. The crops are valued at har- 

 vest-time, and the price is set according to the 

 average of three market-days, taken once a 

 month, between harvest-time and the ensuing 

 Lady-day. 



Norfolk. Farmers hold chiefly by leases of 

 7 or 14 years, some for 21, and they enter at 

 Michaelmas. They generally covenant to farm 

 on the four-course system, are often restrained 

 from sowing above a certain number of tares 

 and oats. This crop being considered to be 

 much more impoverishing to the land than 

 barley, he is not allowed to sell either hay or 

 straw. The outgoing tenant either thrashes 

 his harvest himself, or he agrees with his suc- 

 cessor, who carries out the grain and keeps the 

 straw and chaff; the incomer pays for the 

 growing crops on the ground, but not for the 

 labour; thus, if the turnip crop fails, he re- 

 ceives nothing for the labour. 



The incomer sows the wheat crop, but he 

 cannot enter the farm before Michaelmas-day; 

 to do this without leave, he has to pay for the 

 hay on the farm ; but he takes the dung free. 



Nottingham is cultivated chiefly by yearly 

 tenants, who enter; at Lady-day. They are 

 commonly not allowed to sell either hay or 

 straw, not to take more than three crops to a 

 fallow, and never two white ones in succes- 

 sion. When the incomer enters at Michael- ! 

 mas, the outgoer is paid by valuation, either I 

 upon wheat or turnips, for all the seed and ! 

 labour he has bestowed upon that crop, and for ; 

 all the ploughing he has done before the time j 

 he quits ; for all artificial manure, such as j 

 bones, &c., if for the first crop, then the full ' 

 378 



CUSTOMS OF COUNTIES. 



tillage ; if the second, only half a tillage, and 

 so on ; but for dung in or on the land he is 

 allowed nothing; but if he enters at Lady-day, 

 then he is paid for both, for seed and for labour. 



Salop. Farms are generally held by yearly 

 tenants, who enter at Lady-day; but on to the 

 meadow land, in some places, at Candlemas, 

 that he may water or manure. He is restrained 

 from selling hay or straw, but not to any parti- 

 cular mode of cultivation. When he quits, he 

 is allowed for any lime he may have brought 

 on to the land within the last two years ; the 

 whole value for that of the last year, half the 

 value for that of the preceding : he receives 

 two-thirds of the value of the wheat crop, the 

 value of the seed crops, but nothing for either 

 fallows or dung. He cannot plough for fallows 

 or spring crops without the authority of the 

 incomer, who cannot enter himself to plough 

 without leave before Lady-day. 



Somerset. Farmers have usually leases of 8 

 or 12 years from Lady-day, the outgoer retain- 

 ing the wheat crop, thrashing it on the premi- 

 ses, and leaving the straw, chaff, and dung for 

 the incomer; and for this purpose he commonly 

 holds on till the Midsummer twelvemonth after 

 he quits possession. A tenant cannot sell 

 either hay or straw, or take more than two 

 white crops and a green one without a fallow. 

 He is restrained from breaking up pastures, 

 and he very commonly consents to spend an- 

 nually a certain sum in lime or some other 

 kind of manure. The incoming tenant sows 

 the spring corn, but he cannot enter before 

 Lady-day without leave from the outgoer. 



Stafford. The farmers in this county usually 

 hold from year to year. The tenant is com- 

 monly restrained from selling either hay or 

 straw, and there are very few restrictions of 

 any kind as to the mode of cultivation. The 

 outgoing tenant is usually paid for all the dung 

 he leaves upon the farm, and for all clear sum- 

 mer fallows, but nothing for bastard fallows, 

 even if the seeds or turnips are fed off. For 

 all the wheat on a clean fallow, sown previous- 

 ly to his notice to quit, he receives two-thirds 

 of the crop; if a brush crop, only one-half; but 

 for all he sows after notice, only the value of 

 the seed and labour. The incomer cannot 

 enter to plough before Lady-day: he pays for 

 both the dung and straw left on the farm. 



Westmoreland. Leases in this county are 

 commonly granted for 7, 9, 11, or 21 years 

 from Lady-day. The house, and one field, 

 however, is usually retained till May-day: he 

 has the privilege, however, of going upon the 

 land at old Candlemas to plough for his fallow 

 and spring crop. 



The tenant is commonly restricted from 

 having more than two white crops before he 

 sows the land with seed, and that between the 

 two white crops he is to have either a green, 

 one or a fallow. He is to manure his meadow 

 ground once in three years, and leave the farm 

 in the same working plight as he found it. The 

 outgoer retains the house and one field till 

 May-day, paying rent and taxes, however, for 

 what he thus holds ; with this exception, he is 

 bound to free the land by the 6th of April. In 

 the south of this county, the outgoer receives 

 for the wheat crop on the ground, two-thirds if 



