138 LA^NDOWNINa IN NORTHUMBERLAND 



hands two or three times within that period ; and the result 

 may be stated shortly, that fally two-thirds of those sold 

 have been added to other estates within the county, the 

 effect being to increase the size of large properties and to 

 reduce considerably the number of the smaller holdings of 

 squires and yeomen. This may be matter of regret, but at 

 the present time it is a process going on over the country. 



In a list of the sale of estates belonging to the Hon. 

 Henry Grey in 1731, thirteen separate estates, containing 

 16,970 acres, and representing part of the estates of the late 

 Ralph, Lord Grey, were sold to separate owners. Of these 

 one is held by the direct representative of the purchaser 

 of 1731 ; another has passed into the hands of the present 

 Earl Grey; while all the remainder have changed hands, 

 and are now merged in other and larger estates. 



Dated from " Carron Abbey, 6th Sept., 1783." Dr Yelloby 

 writes to his friend, the late Mr Wm. Burrell of Broom 

 Park, lamenting the changes which had taken place, and 

 says that in 1615 — 



Lemmington belonged to a Beadnell, 



Shawdon belonged to a Proctor. 



Bassington belonged to a Callaley. 



Huln Abbey belonged to a Salkeld. 



Gosforth and Felton belonged to a Lister. 



Swarland belonged to a Hazelrigg. 



Dunston belonged to a Whitwany. 



Belford belonged to a Armourer. 



An anecdote connected with Lemmington (from Spearman's 

 MSS.) may not be out of place here: "Lemmington in 1627 

 was the seat of the Beadnells ; in 1753 it passed into the 

 hands of Robert Fenwick, Esq., High Sheriff of Northumber- 

 land. His son Nicholas married a daughter of Mr Collingwood 

 Forster of Alnwick, who used to boast that there was not 

 a furse or a whin bush in the county that had not at one 

 time or other belonged to a Fenwick or a Forster." 



The large farms of Northumberland have made it incumbent 

 upon the proprietors to provide not only large accommodation 

 for the farmer and for his stock, but also cottages for his 

 workpeople employed upon the farm, who, in the absence 



