INTRODUCTION 17 



tain," wrote Wm. Pearson in 184^, " that the wonder was how they 

 procured a livelihood at all." " From eve to mom, from morn to 

 dewy eve," it was nibble, nibble, nibble. If the poor man's horse had 

 lost half an hour it would have been fatal ! No future efforts could 

 have recovered the lost ground ! O but this was an animated scene 

 in the old time." 



The hounding of sheep and cattle in order to obtain the best 

 " heafs " was common, and quarrels innumerable the consequence. 



" We've fratched and scaulded lang and sair, about our reights on't fell, 

 The number of our sheep, and whaur the heaf was they sud dwell, 

 When Spring com round, our bluid was warmed, our ancient heafs to keep, 

 But oft, aye oft, the damage fell upon our whiet sheep. 



And oft we fratched and fret about, and throppled uddar sair, 

 Upon the whol' the fell hes meade mischief for iwer mair." 



In 1868 Webster wrote : " Those having most land adjoining or 

 near the fell, and living near to it, will take more than their proper 

 share, so long as human nature remains as it is, and always has been, 

 while those further off must be content with less or nothing. The 

 keen competition amongst stockowners and shepherds now and then 

 leads to sheep-hounding, worrying, assault, and battery, and work 

 for the lawyers. As a general rule each flock knows and keeps its own 

 ' heaf ' or particular part of the common." That human nature has not 

 changed is shown by the recent application, 1908, for the regulation 

 of the common land known as Winton and Kaber Fells (Stainmore), 

 Kaber Rigg and Kaber Green, near Kirkby Stephen, with the object 

 of " preventing continual quarrels and litigation arising from over- 

 stocking and from the hounding of sheep." On account of the over- 

 crowding many of the larger farmers would refrain from sending stock 

 of any description at all to the commons unless they could fend for 

 themselves ; the custom of keeping wethers till they were four or five 

 years old arose from this circumstance. Where peat mosses existed 

 it was not to be wondered at that quarrels were frequent among the 

 farmers and peasants in their endeavour to secure the best dykes 

 where the blackest peats were to be obtained. There was an un- 

 written law ,that no one should send more stock to the commons than 



c 



