6o THE BEST OF THE FUN 



CHAPTER IX 



NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



My text is furnished for me by one John Speed, who in 

 1611 wrote of Northamptonshire, "The aire is good, 

 temperate and healthful ; the soil is champion, rich and 

 fruitful, and so plenteously peopled that from some as- 

 cents thirty parish-churches and many more windmills 

 at one view may be scene. Commodities arising in this 

 shire are chiefly gotten by tillage and plough, whereby 

 corn so plenteously aboundeth that in no other countrie 

 is found more, or so much ; the pastures and woods are 

 filled with cattle, and everywhere sheep loaden with their 

 fleeces of wooll." 



So much for our champion shire as it appeared 280 

 years ago, before the Pytchley became a subscription 

 pack, and before a gorse— or apparently even a wood 

 — had been enclosed. The other changes are obvious 

 enough. I take leave to doubt that thirty Northampton- 

 shire churches ever were visible from any one hilltop. 

 There are not now: though Stowe-Nine-Churches is 

 credited with commanding the lesser number. Wind- 

 mills have disappeared from the country — or remain in 

 the case of the more solid structures, dismantled of their 

 tophamper, mere landmarks, unsightly wrecks, but not 

 nearly so dangerous to horse and rider as when in full 

 swing. Nor can it still be said that corn so plentifully 

 aboundeth — or oats might perhaps be bought at less 

 ruinous price than now : but, on the other hand, would 

 you not rather keep one horse to ride over grass than two 

 to wallow in plough ? I suppose most of our green ridge- 

 and-furrow was undrained tillage land in those days. 

 They probably wintered their cattle in the woods. Now 

 the country is to some ex.tent cleared after October. 

 Breeding stock and store stock remain — also " everywhere 

 sheep loaden with their fleeces of wooll." 



And these constitute some of the chief difficulties of 

 a huntsman in these latter days. Bullocks run at a fox 



