MONKNEWTON. 47 



John Baker Holroyd, Efq* of Sheffield place, 

 in the county of SufTex : a gentleman^ who 

 having favoured me before with excellent in- 

 telligence in that country, took pleafure in 

 repeating it on occasion of my Irifli tour. 



Towards Mattock bridge, the foil is a light 

 rich loam, but the North Weilern part is a 

 ftrona; fertile clay. The whole eftate had 

 beenlet out to two or three coniiderable peo- 

 ple for 61 years, and they under-let in the 

 ufual ftyle of the country. The leafes ex- 

 pired in' 1762, when Mr. H. vifited the eftate, 

 and found it as ill ufed as it poiiibly could be. 

 However, great rents were offered. He de- 

 clined the propofals of feveral, confiderable 

 men, to take the whole to under-let at rack 

 rents as before, knowing that the fame wretch- 

 ed hufbandry and poverty muft continue, if 

 he did, although it would fecure his rents 

 moft effe&ually. He was very well fatisfied 

 with the rents offered by per ions who would 

 ' reiide on the eftate, (dividing with them the 

 profits of the middle man), and voluntarily 

 engaged to pay for the mafonry and principal 

 timber of farm-houfes, barns, ftables, &c. He 

 made large ditches, planting them with quick, 

 round each farm. He allowed half the ex- 

 penfe of inner fences. He provided an excel- 

 lent lime-ftone quarry in the neighbourhood, 

 befides lime kilns on different farms. He 

 built about the centre of the eftate a very 

 large double kiln, calculated to burn 1000 

 barrels per week. He allows 30s. for every 



acre 



