PRESENT STATE 



OF THE 



AGRICULTURE OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 



STAFFORDSHIRE is an inland county, situate near the centre 

 of England, bounded on the north by Cheshire and Derbyshire ; on 

 the south-east by Warwickshire ; on the south by Worcestershire ; 

 and on the west by Shropshire. It lies between 52 23' and 53 

 13' north latitude, and 1 29' and 2 27' west longitude from 

 London. The greatest length from the north part of Ax-edge 

 Common (between Leek and Buxton), to the south part of Woods- 

 Eaves (south of the Severn), from N. by E. to s. by w. is 60 English 

 miles, and the greatest breadth from the junction of the Trent and 

 Dove (north of Burton), to the west point of Terley-heath (near 

 Drayton), nearly from east to west, is 38 miles : the county contains 

 in the gross 1220 square miles, and 780,800 statute acres. 



Divisions. This county is divided into two parts by the Roman 

 road of Watling-street, which passes through it from east or south- 

 east to west, nearly 30 miles, having about three-fourths of the 

 county to the north, and one-fourth to the south. It formed part 

 of the ancient Cornavii, under the Saxon Heptarchy, and belonged 

 to the kingdom of Mercia. It is in the Oxford circuit, and diocese 

 of Lichfield and Coventry. Staffordshire is divided into five 

 hundreds : 1. Totmanslow, to the north : 2. Pyrehill, to the north- 

 west; 3. Cuddleston, central, and to the south-west ; 4. Offlow, 

 to the east ; and 5. Seisdon, to the south : it contains 24 market- 

 towns, and 81 parishes. 



Climate. The air of this county is sharp, and the climate may be 

 termed inclining to wet, the average annual rains being about 36 

 inches, those of London 21 inches, of Essex 19 to 20 inches, 

 of Lancashire 42 inches, and in Ireland still more. It may be 

 considered an established fact,, that the annual rains on the west 

 side of the kingdom are at least double in quantity to those on the 



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