276 RURAL ECONOMY OF ENGLAND. 



cient to separate them entirely from the Saxons, the wild 

 character of their country has helped to complete their 

 isolation. Their ancient barbarism has stuck to them 

 now for a long time ; and any efforts made by England 

 to assimilate them have frequently, as in the case of the 

 Irish, resulted in quite the contrary effect. 



Gavdkind was the primitive law of the country that 

 is, land was equally divided among all the children ; 

 and thus the land became covered with small and poor 

 proprietors. About two centuries ago, the English Gov- 

 ernment considered it an act of good policy to introduce 

 the law of primogeniture, thereby artificially implanting 

 large property. But such changes, when they are not 

 free and natural, are always difficult to engraft; the con- 

 sequence has been that farming has been rather retarded 

 than furthered by this premature reform. It proved a 

 difficult matter to introduce the system of renting farms, 

 owing to the absence of capital and skill. The ejected 

 population fell into a condition of increased poverty; bad 

 feeling was engendered, and showed itself from time to 

 time in violent outbreaks. On the appearance of Chart- 

 ism, Wales became one of its strongholds ; and the riots 

 of the peasantry in 1843, known under the singular name 

 of Rebecca and her daughters, show that the evil con- 

 tinued very nearly up to our revolution. 



Men with blackened faces, under a leader disguised 

 as a woman, called Eebecca, appeared suddenly at night 

 in the most remote districts, burning turnpike gates, 

 demolishing workhouses, and threatening proprietors and 

 farmers in their houses. At other times the pretended 

 woman-chief took the name of Miss Cromwell, eldest 

 daughter of Rebecca, and under this formidable appella- 

 tion, which recalled confused notions of old revolutions, 



