A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Leases were general in the Ormskirk district, for seven, fourteen, and twenty-one years ; and 

 there were only a few lifeholds. 



The wa£^es in South Lancashire differed somewhat from those in the north ; in hay-time a man 

 earned 8(/. a day instead of io</., and in winter he received lod. a day instead of bd., ' because the 

 work is so much harder.' A head man, if taken by the year, was paid £j instead of ;^I0." Boys 

 and dairymaids also received less. 



In the south, as in the north of the county, no waggons or rollers were used. 



When Young visited the county the reclamation of Halsall Moss had just been effected, a piece 

 of bog about i,ooo acres in extent, not worth, on an average, more than id. per acre. This 

 had been done very gradually by dividing the moss into fields of about two acres each, by ditches 

 3 ft. deep, 5 ft. wide at the top and 3 ft. wide at the bottom. These, which were half filled up 

 in a year, were cleaned out again and left for another year, by which time the land was consolidated 

 sufficiently to bear men for paring and burning it, which was done in the winter, 2 in. deep, at a 

 cost of 81. 6d. per acre. After this it was ploughed with one horse in boots, shod with boards of an 

 oval shape 18 in. wide, the turves raised by this ploughing being also burnt and the ashes ploughed 

 in at once, quite hot. Upon this, without harrowing, was sown, at the beginning of September, a 

 bushel of rye to the acre, which produced in return about 25 bushels. When this crop of rye was 

 off the land was burnt again, then ploughed and sown with rye as before. With the second crop of 

 rye came up a good growth of natural grass, which was left to itself for three years, but pastured by 

 cattle, and became a good turf. At the end of the three years it was ploughed in April and the 

 furrows burnt, then stirred a second time and sown with oats, four bushels to the acre, which pro- 

 duced nearly 30 bushels. When the oats were off it was burnt again, and another crop of oats 

 sown, with which natural grass again came, which was grazed for four years. 



By this system of taking two crops of rye or oats, and then letting the land lie in grass for 

 three or four years, and always burning it when broken up, the land was made worth from Js. 6d. 

 to 1 51. an acre.^* 



From the report to the Board of Agriculture made by Holt in 1794, and reviewed by William 

 Marshall, we have an account of Lancashire agriculture at the end of the eighteenth century." 



Since the introduction of manufactures property had become more minutely divided, but there 

 still remained very extensive estates. 



Among the methods of improving land then usual, that of Mr. Bayley of Hope is noticeable : — 



Whenever a tenant wishes for the whole of his farm, or any particular field, to be improved by 

 draining, marling, liming, dunging, or laying down to grass in a superior manner, the landlord takes 

 the (farm) or field into his own pojsession during the process, and when completed returns it again to 

 the tenant with an advanced rent of ten per cent, upon the improvements, 



by which steps the rental of the estate had been advanced very considerably and the tenants were 

 thriving. 



The covenants of leases usual at this time were : The landlord to repair buildings, the tenant 

 carting the materials. The tenant to discharge all taxes, 'serve all offices and all the duties charged 

 upon the farm.' Tenants were restrained as to the quantity they were allowed to plough, sometimes 

 to one-third, sometimes to one-fourth of the whole ; also, of late years to the number of crops to be 

 taken at one breaking-up of the ground, sometimes four, sometimes three, being allowed. Tenants 

 were restrained from sowing wheat upon bean stubble or any other stubble from which a crop had 

 been taken the same year, also from paring or burning except moss lands. Hay or straw was some- 

 times forbidden to be sold, and the tenant was always bound to consume them on the premises. 

 Tenants were allowed to take off three-fourths of the wheat growing upon the premises at the 

 expiration of the lease, the incoming tenant to have the remaining fourth. 



The usual time of entering upon the lands was, as in the present day, Candlemas, 2 February, 

 and on the buildings May Day ; the incoming tenant having permission, however, immediately after 

 Candlemas to occupy certain portions of the out-buildings. 



In some leases there were covenants to pay the rent the day the tenant entered upon the 

 premises but it was not enforced except in emergencies. The rent of land at this time varied from 

 los. to £4. per large acre (equal to a little more than two acres and one-tenth of a statute acre) and 

 for accommodation land near towns as much as ;^ 10 per large acre was paid.*' 



There were no natural woods of any consequence, but many plantations planted for gam • 

 coverts, or shelters from the strong winds. 



" w "^^' ^."i w ?""' i-"^ '"+•.. . " ^°"°e, Noniem Tour (2nd ed.), iii, ,78. 



W. Marshall, A Rev. of Rep. to Bd. ofAgrk. (Lond. 1808). Manhall criticises many of Holt's state- 

 ments severely. ' 



« Eden states the average rent of land in the township of Bury at 32X. per statute acre ; in the townships 

 of Lancaster from ^2 to ^6 per statute acre ; of Preston ^2 to ^4. luwnsnips 



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