46 



HERTFORDSHIRE. 



Hertford- 

 shire. 



Hertford- 

 shire 

 plough. 



of the land is under tillage, and the produce in wheat, 

 barley, and oxts, is very considerable. Wheat and bar- 

 ley in particular are grown here of as good a quality as 

 in any other part of the kingdom. In the neighbour- 

 hood of Wheathampstead, great quantities ot wheat 

 have b vu n I'.M- i very considerable length of time, 



whe:n' :i-i.-> jii.ice takes its distinctive appellation. In- 

 i'i the opinion of many, Hertfordshire was dis- 

 .!shed or the excellence of its tillage husbandry, 

 even before Norfolk. Turnips and clover are supposed 

 to have been introduced in the time of Cromwell, who, 

 it is >aid, gave j(00 a year, on that account, to a far- 

 mer of the name of Howe. Even the judicious culture 

 and application of tares were practised in this county 

 upwards of 80 years ago at a period when they were 

 scarcely known in .my other part of England. It 

 does not seem, however, that the arable husbandry of 

 Hertfordshire lias improved much latterly ; and the kind 

 of plough still in general use, will, with many, be deem- 

 ed a proof of this remark. This plough, known by the 

 name of the great Hertfordshire wheel plough, though 

 of great merit and utility in breaking up strong flinty 

 fallows in a dry season, ought certainly to be dispen- 

 sed with in all the other operations of husbandry ; and, 

 even for that purpose, it might be constructed in such 

 a manner as to do its work with more ease to the hor- 

 ses. It is excessively heavy, and so ill formed that it 

 will not move in its work one yard without the plough- 

 man. The plough- shares alone weigh from 50 to 70 

 Ibs. 



Grasslands. The grass-lands of Hertfordshire, compared with 

 those under tillage, are very trifling : in fact, it may 

 be said that there is no grass district in it, except a ve- 

 ry narrow margin in the south line, in the vicinity of 

 Barnet, which, being near London, is made artificially 

 productive, by means of manure brought by the hay 

 carts. There are, however, some tolerably good mea- 

 dows, especially those on the Stort, extending from 

 Hackerell to Hertford, and those in the vicinity of the 

 Lea, and about Rickmansworth. The many streams 

 that flow through the county are extremely favourable 

 to irrigation, though that system is not carried to any 

 great extent. In the south-west corner of the county 

 are many orchards. Apples and cherries are their 

 principal produce. 



Cattle and As the land in this county is chiefly arable, and the 

 ihcep. artificial grasses are cultivated almost entirely for hay 

 for the London market, live stock is an object of very 

 inferior consideration. The Suffolk breed of cattle is 

 regarded as the best. The sheep are mostly ewes of 

 the Southdown and Wiltshire breeds. The horses are 

 of various kinds, but the Suffolk punch appears to be 

 preferred. 



The principal roads in Hertfordshire, in consequence 

 of its vicinity to the metropolis, are very good. Six 

 great leading turnpikes pass through this small district. 

 Many of the cross roads are nearly as good as the turn- 

 pikes. 



The great business of the county is the traffic of corn, 

 and the malting trade. The latter is carried on to a 

 very great extern in the towns of Hitchin, Baldock, 

 Royston, and Ware. Ware alone sends a greater sup- 

 ply of malt to London than any other place ; and it al- 

 ways obtains the highest price, not only on account of 

 the excellence of the barley from which it is made, but. 

 also from the excellence of the mode in which it is ma- 

 Malt, nufactured. The Hertfordshire malt, however, is not 

 all made from barley grown in the county ; large quan- 

 tities being purchased in all the surrounding districts, 



Kii.ul.-. 



Trade and 

 manufac- 

 tures. 



which, after being malted in the towns above mention- Hertford- 

 ed, is sent to London chiefly by the navigation of the ,_^ h ' re |_ J 

 Lea. There are very few manufactures in Hertford- "~V 

 shire of any consequence: at St Albans there is a small 

 cotton manufactory, and two silk-mills. The machi- 

 nery of the latter is particularly well contrived. At 

 Berkhampstead fringe lace is made ; and also a con*i- 

 derable quantity of wooden shovels, bowls, spoons, &c. 

 In this, and some other parts of the county, plaiting 

 straw is a resource for poor women and children. At 

 Watford there are some silk mills, one of which is 

 worked by the waters of the Colne ; the rest by hordes. 

 In 1803 the poor rates amounted to 7 1,291 : in IS 15, Poors-rates, 

 they had increased to 08,380. 



There are several antiquities of great interest in this Antiquities, 

 county. The British City of Verulam, on the site of 

 which St Albans stands, is of greater antiquity than ev- 

 en London itself; and, under the dominion of the Ro- 

 mans, acquired the dignity and privileges of a munici- 

 pium. In the vicinity of this place Ca?sar defeated Cas- 

 sivellaunus ; Boadicea conquered and massacred 70,000 

 Romans and Britons ; and two bloody battles were 

 fought between the rival houses of York and Lancaster 

 in 1455 and 146'1. The field of Barnet, between St 

 Albans and London, was also the scene of a bloody 

 battle in the destructive wars of the two houses, which 

 proved decisive in favour of Edward IV., his great 

 foe, the Earl of Warwick, surnamed the king- maker, 

 being there slain in 1471. During the Saxon heptar- 

 chy, this county was partly in the kingdom of the East 

 Saxons, and partly in Mercia. The king of the latter 

 resided in a castle at Berkhampstead. At this place a 

 parliament was held in 697> and the laws of Ina were 

 published. William the Conqueror here swore to pre- 

 serve the laws made by his predecessors. King Henry 

 II. kept his court here, and granted it all the liberties 

 and privileges which it had engaged under Edward 

 the Confessor ; and so lately as the reign of James I. the 

 royal nursery was established here. Upon a hill in 

 Harborough field, near Ashwell, are evident marks of 

 a Roman fortification, (now called Ardbury Banks), a 

 large square work enclosed with a trench or rampart. 

 Here the Romans had a standing camp, so advantage- 

 ously situated, that they could discover the approach 

 even of a small body of men at a great distance. Se- 

 veral Roman coins and earthen vessels have been dug 

 np here at different times. 



In 1801 there were 18,172 houses in this county, Population. 

 and 97,577 inhabitants. In 1811, it appears, from the 

 population abstract, that there were 



Houses inhabited 26,345 



Families inhabiting them ...... 22,744 



Houses building ....... ^ ... 131 



uninhabited 436 



Families employed in agriculture . . 1 1,998 



trade 7,192 



other lines . . 3,554 



Males 55,023 



Females 56,631 



Total inhabitants 111,654 



The following is the statistical state of the county in 

 1811 : 



Area in square statute miles 528 



English statute acres 337,920 



Rental of land 342,350 



Amount of tithe 45,29'2 



Annual value of a square mile 735 



