A HISTORY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE 



common flock, and the cattle in a common herd, to graze under the care of a 

 common shepherd and herdsman respectively, the male animals being in some 

 cases provided by the lord of the manor, and in others by the tenants. Under 

 these conditions it was impossible to deal with the contagious diseases of live 

 stock, and it will cause no surprise to find in the Agricultural Survey of 

 Gloucestershire, drawn up by Rudge in 1805 for the Board of Agriculture, 

 scab, or shab, described as ' a disease of the skin to which long-woolled sheep 

 are more or less subject.' 



The remedy for this state of affairs was to consolidate the various occu- 

 pations, allotting to each the equivalent in value of the former holding, not in 

 detached strips, but in compact blocks that might be enclosed within fences. 

 Acts of Parliament were obtained to effect this change, the first Inclosure Act 

 dealing with land in the county of Gloucester being that relating to the parish 

 of Farmington, passed in 1714. Inclosures in the county did not, however, 

 become general until the end of the eighteenth century, more than eighty 

 Acts having been passed between 1760 and 1800. 



An instructive comparison is appended by Rudge to his report concern- 

 ing the state of the parish of Aldsworth before and after the inclosure. 

 Previously the management of the arable land was in two shifts, that is, a 

 corn crop and fallow alternately, one-half of the ploughed land being sown 

 with wheat, barley, and oats, the other half being fallow, one-sixth of which 

 was sown with peas, the remainder apparently being bare of crop, but full of 

 weeds, until ploughed in July for the next year's corn. The acreage of 

 pasture is not given. Before the inclosure the produce was as follows : 



Wheat, 200 acres, average 6 bushels per acre =150 quarters. 

 Barley 10 = 250 



Oats 10 = 250 



Peas 100 6 = 70 



As regards live stock we are told that sheep bred were 200 ; full stock, 400 ; 

 wool, at 8 fleeces per tod, 50 tods; 600 sheep were taken to agistment at is. 

 per head ; i o beasts were bred and kept till four years old ; i o were sold 

 yearly and 40 taken to agistment at 5-f. per head. 



After the inclosure the produce was increased to the following : 



Wheat ... 390 acres at 12 bushels per acre = 585 quarters 

 Barley ... 17 = 825 



Peas and Oats 19^ = 950 



Sheep bred annually, 1,800; beasts ditto, 12; sent to market, 20; wool at 

 5 fleeces per tod, 360 tods. 



The net result of the inclosure of this parish would thus seem to be 

 that i, 800 sheep were annually bred as compared with 200, 20 beasts 

 against 10, and 360 tods of wool against 50, besides an additional 1,640 

 quarters of corn produced per annum. Aldsworth being a parish upon the 

 Cotswold Hills, the following extract from Rudge's report referring to the 

 Vale may be quoted : 



The claylands of the vale are thrown up in ridges much higher than would be neces- 

 sary if proper drains were made for carrying off the stagnant water, which, however, is 

 impracticable under the present management of the open common fields (a person six feet 



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