438 



KEN T.. 



Kent. Weald, have raised it to this eminence ; but especially 

 S ""Y"""' the bean husbandry of East Kent, and the general hus- 

 bandry of the isle of Thanet. It is seldom easy to point 

 out the causes, which improve or retard the agriculture 

 of any district ; but with respect to Kent, there can be 

 little doubt that its excellent husbandry is, in some de- 

 gree at least, owing to the peculiar tenure of its lands. 

 Tenure*. The property is very much divided ; there being few 

 extensive possessions that are not intersected by other 

 person's property. There are few copyhold or customa- 

 ry tenures. The yeomanry of Kent, so long and so 

 justly celebrated, are rather increasing than diminish- 

 ing. But what distinguishes Kent, is the tenure of ga- 

 .... vel kind, which prevails over it. "The law of gavel 

 ' kind comprehends the joint inheritance of all the sons 

 to the estate of the father; and should the father sur- 

 vive, the inheritance divides to his grandsons, if there 

 are any, or else to his daughters.'' All brothers may 

 jointly inherit the estate of a deceased brother ; and 

 nephews and nieces are, in their degree, entitled to the 

 same division of property. Several acts, abolishing this 

 tenure with regard to particular estates, have been pass- 

 ed ; but all lands in this county are presumed to be sub- 

 ject to it, till the contrary is proved. Gavel kind lands 

 do not escheat to the king, as lord of the manor, of 

 whom they are holden, except in cases of treason ; and 

 by the law of gavel kind, a moiety is due to the widow 

 of all the estates, possessed by the husband either at 

 the marriage, or during her coverture. By this law 

 also, the proprietor may alienate his estate at the age of 

 fifteen, provided it is done by feoffment. The number 

 of freeholds in the county is said to be about 9000, be- 

 sides the large estates belonging to the dean and chap- 

 ter of Canterbury and Rochester, and other corporate 

 bodies. The size of farms varies very much. In some 

 of the rich lands, they are so small as 10 or 15 acres ; 

 but where the land is poor they extend from 300 to 

 GOO acres. 



We have already seen, that the soils of the different 

 districts into which Mr. Boys divides Kent, vary very 

 much. This circumstance, together with local situa- 

 tion, c. render the agriculture of each also different 

 in a considerable degree. It will, therefore, be proper to 

 Husbandry give a brief view of the agriculture of each. 1. The 

 of the dif- general routine of the crops in the first district, or the 

 f"" tdis " ' s ' e of Tnanet > on its lighter soils, is fallow, barley, clo- 

 ver, wheat, with occasionally pease instead of a fallow ; 

 or beans, wheat, barley, on the richer lands. Canary, 

 raddish, mustard, spinach, and cabbage, are also grown. 

 The arable husbandry is, in every point of view, ex- 

 cellent. It is remarkably well ploughed, flat, without 

 furrows. The crops are kept extremely clean by hand 

 and horse hoeing, and the produce is commensurate to 

 the natural goodness of the soil, and the care and skill 

 !>estowed on the land and crops. The harvest general- 

 ly begins about the first week of August. Sheep and 

 rattle are fattened on the marsh lands. The condition 

 of the farmers in this district, is such as might be ex- 

 pected from this character and account of its agricul- 

 ture. They are intelligent, respectable, and in easy 

 circumstances. On the chalk lands of the second dis- 

 trict, or the upland farms of East Kent, sainfoin is ex- 

 tensively cultivated. On the loamy soils, the routine 

 is barley, beans, wheat, or fallow, oats, clover, wheat ; 

 and on the stiff clays, fallow, wheat, beans, barley. The 

 harvest is from H to 18 days later than in the isle of 

 Thanet. In this district the woodlands are extensive, 

 principally between Rochester and Dover, and on the 



Kent. 



chalk hill, tli:il runs from Folkstonc to Detlirig, they 

 yield timber for ship-building, but principally hop poles. 

 On the chalk soils, the prevalent woods are a'sh, willow, , tllc ltlt _' 

 and hazel. On the stiff clays, oak, birch>.and beech. terc nt i!i- 

 The rich flat lands near Faversham, Deal, and Sand- tncts. 

 wich, which form the third district, are almost entirely 

 arable. The lighter soils produce abundance of wheat, 

 beans, barley, oats, and pease ; the stronger, beans, 

 wheat, and canary seed. On these lands, if very rich, 

 wheat and beans are often grown alternately for a se- 

 ries of years, or canary seed is sown in place of wheat. 

 The hop grounds near Maidstone, Canterbury, and 

 Sandwich, which constitute the fourth district, are, as 

 the name implies, almost entirely under hops. Round 

 Canterbury, they extend to nearly 3000 acres. The 

 best hops are grown here and in the vicinity of Sand- 

 wich. The most productive soils are a rich loam, wich 

 a subsoil either calcareous or of brick earth. The hops 

 grown near Maidstone, are inferior in quality to those 

 of Canterbury and Sandwich, caused by the inferior na- 

 ture of the soil. In the neighbourhood of this town, 

 there are extensive orchards of from 10 to l.> acres, 

 planted with apples, cherries, and filberts. Sometimes 

 these are grown in the hop plantations. These fruits 

 are principally sent to London. The isle of Shepey, 

 which forms the fifth district, contains only one-fifth of 

 its area arable land. Beans and wheat are grown al- 

 ternately on the arable lands, which are very rich. The 

 quality of the wheat is very good, its weight sometimes 

 reaching 64 pounds the Winchester bushel. On these 

 lands, clover, oats, and barley are also cultivated. 

 Lambs and sheep are fed on the upland pastures ; the 

 more forward sheep and cattle on the marsh lands. The 

 quality of the soil on this isle, has been much impro- 

 ved, by applying cockle shells, great quantities of which 

 are thrown up by the sea. On the upper and west side 

 of the upland farms of West Kent, great quantities of 

 timber and underwood are produced. Hops, fruit, 

 corn, grass, timber, and coppice wood, occupy the bor- 

 ders of the Weald and of Surry. On the gravelly and 

 sandy soils near Deptford and Blackheath, early green 

 pease, turnips, rye, winter tares, clover, 'oats, &c- are 

 grown. There are a few dairies of small size. On the 

 Downs, in this district, sheep are fed. The waste and 

 common field lands are very extensive. Wheat, oats, 

 barley, rye-grass, clover, turnips, and beans, are grown 

 in the Weald of Kent, which is principally an arable and 

 woodland district. The timber is very valuable ; but 

 the arable husbandry, and the crops, in consequence of 

 the wet nature of the soil, the badness of the roads, &c. 

 is far behind that of most other parts of Kent. The last 

 district is Romney Marsh, and the marshes contiguous 

 to it. These have long been celebrated for their un- 

 commonly rich pastures. It is computed, that the 

 number of sheep kept here, exceeds what are kept on 

 the same quantity of ground in any other-part of the 

 kingdom. The arable lands, which, in consequence of 

 the high price of corn, are more extensive now than 

 they were formerly, are extremely productive of wheat, 

 beans, and pease. 



Besides this rapid and brief sketch of the agricul- Imple- 

 ture of the various districts of Kent, it will be proper 

 to notice farther particulars of the crops generally culti- 

 vated, with reference to the county at large ; but pre- 

 viously, the implements used in its agriculture must be 

 noticed. Of these, by far the most important and singu- 

 lar is the Kentish turn-wrest plough. To those who 

 have never seen it, but who have been accustomed to 





