114 Vineyard and Plantations of Jacob Tonscm, 



AjRT. III. Some Account of the Vineyard and Plantations of the 

 celebrated Jacob Tonson, in 1727, at Haffield, near Ledbury ; •with 

 a Notice of the Improvements lately made^ and nolo in Progress, at 

 that Place. By Mr. D. Beaton. 



The estate at Haffield consists of several small estates, which 

 were in the hands of different proprietors till 1817, when they 

 were united into one. One of these small estates, containing 

 about 25 acres, and called the Vineyard, was bought, in 1726, 

 by the celebrated London bookseller, Jacob Tonson, wliose name 

 is so intimately associated with those of the great men whose 

 works he published. This small estate no doubt derived its 

 name from a vineyard on it, which had been cultivated from time 

 immemorial. The site of this vineyard was a steep bank, facing 

 the south and south-east ; and that it was considered of some 

 importance in 1726, may be inferred from the following extract 

 of a letter, from Mr. Tonson to his agent, when he was about 

 buying the place : — " Pray take care about the title, and that the 

 house, 'wine-press, tools, glasses, and every other thing belonging 

 to it, be particularly included in the bill of sale." In a bill sent 

 in to Mr. Tonson, by his tenant, May 1 727, are the following 

 charges: — 



t, d. 

 " For three chickens, and dressing them - - 1 6 



For six pounds of butter - - - 2 6 



For the use of my tubs, and a vessel for making the wine 3 " 



In another bill, not dated, but supposed to be about the same 

 time, strawberries were charged 6d. per quart or pound, and 

 raspberries at 4c?. ditto. Tradition, in this quarter, says that 

 the vines were first trained against the steep banks (a practice 

 of late years supposed to be new), but that Mr. Tonson intro- 

 duced espaliers, which the common people called "diamond 

 palisading." 



Mr. Tonson evidently made great alterations and improve- 

 ments, soon after purchasing the place. He formed terraces on 

 the bank on which the vineyard stood, and planted Scotch pines, 

 common spruce firs, and yews, on the north-west and east sides 

 of his vineyard j and, near the house, some yews and lime trees, 

 and some variegated hollies, one of which now remains, and is 

 47 ft. high, the girt, at one foot from the ground, being 4ft. 3 in. 

 A few of the Scotch pines have reached within a fraction of 

 100 ft, and girt from 8 ft. to nearly 12 ft, at one foot from the 

 ground. They were " shredded " about 70 years ago ; and some 

 of the trees have now 40 ft. of clean straight stems. They are 

 still in the greatest vigour, and produce abundance of seeds 

 every year. The soil is 6 inches of gravelly marl on a hard red 

 conglomerated rock, and on the termination of a range of low 



