A HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX 



will show the variations in soil, many of which have since been lost sight 

 of amidst the progress of building : 



1. Hundred of Edmonton, including South Mimms, Enfield, Edmonton, Tottenham. 



The soil is clay and strong loam, with some gravel. 



2. Hundred of Gore, including Hendon, Harrow, Edgeware, Stanmore, Wembley. 



The soil is stiff clay, with a little gravelly loam. 



3. Hundred of Ossulstone, including 



(a) Barnet, Finchley, Highgate, Hornsey, Hampstead, Willesden. The soil 



is clay, mixed with gravel and loam. 



(b) Stoke Newington, Clapton, Hackney, Bethnal Green, Stepney. The soil 



is rich and mellow, and at Hackney there is some strong loam-like clay, 

 called brick-earth, 

 (f) Islington, Pancras, Paddington. The soil is gravelly loam, with a little clay. 



(d) Kensington, Brompton, Chelsea, Fulham, Chiswick. The soil varies from 



strong to sandy loam, mixed with sand and gravel, some black and fertile, 

 some sharp and white. Chiswick has some pure surface gravel. 



(e) Acton and Ealing. The soil is gravel, like that of Chiswick, with loam 



and clay in parts. 



4. Hundred of Isleworth, including Isleworth, Twickenham, Teddington, &c., on 



the Thames, and the district round Heston. The soil includes hazel loam, 

 rich and mellow, also strong loam and a little light gravel. 



5. Hundred of Elthorne. The soil varies from strong loam, with gravel, to light loam. 



6. Hundred of Spelthorne. The soil includes light loam, lean gravel, and strong loam. s 



Lysons gives much the same information in his detailed view of 

 sixteen parishes of about a hundred years ago, but his account is less com- 

 prehensive than that of Foot. 



Some account of the early agricultural history of Middlesex has 

 been given in another article, but we may cite in this place a short 

 description of the county as it appeared to Norden, 8 the well-known 

 surveyor of the days of Elizabeth and her successor. 



Myddlesex is a small Shire, in length not twentie myles, in circuite (as it were by 

 the ring) not about (sic above) 70 myles, yet for the fertilitie thereof, it may compare with 

 any other shire : for the soyle is excellent, fat and fertile and full of profile : it yeeldeth 

 corne and graine, not onelie in aboundance, but most excellente good wheate, 

 especiallie about Heston, which place may be called Granarium tritici regalis, for the 

 singularitie of the corne. The vaine of this especiall corne seemeth to extend from 

 Heston to Harrow on the hill, betweene which as in the mid way, is Perivale, more 

 truely Pureva/e. In which vale is also Northold, Soutbo/d, Norcote, Gerneford, Hayes, 

 &c. And it seemeth to extend to Pynner, though with some alteration of the soile. 

 It may be noted also how nature has exalted Harrow on the hill, which seemeth to 

 make ostentation of its scituation in the Pureva/e, from whence, towardes the time of 

 Harvest, a man may beholde the fields round about, so sweetely to address themselves, 

 to the siccle, and sith, with such comfortable aboundaunce, of all kinde of graine, that 

 the husbandman which waiteth for the fruits of his labours, cannot but clap his hands, 

 for joy, to see this vale, so to laugh and sing. 



Yet doth not this so fruitefull soyle yeeld comfort, to the way-fairing man in the 

 wintertime, by reason of the claiesh nature of soyle ; which after it hath tasted the 

 Autumne showers, waxeth both dyrtie and deepe : But unto the countrie swaine it is 

 as a sweete and pleasant garden, in regard of his hope of future profile, for : 



The deepe, and dirtie loalhsome soyle, 

 Yeelds golden gaine, to painfull toyle. 



The industrious and painefull husbandman will refuse a pallace, to droyle in these 

 golden puddles. 4 



* Peter Foot, Gen. Vitw ofjfgric. of MM. 9. 



1 Speculum Britanniae. * John Norden, op. cit. pt. i, p. 1 1 . 



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