130 The Early History of the Upper Wylye Valley. 



from the mills with the stuff. In the midst of this agricultural 

 country there was a settlement of weavers upon the moor-like heath 

 near Crockerton, working at the broad-cloth. The potter's industry 

 there, as we have seen, goes back to the thirteenth century, and 

 another of its industries was the making of whetstones from the local 

 stone. There are still old men who will look among the material 

 of houses that have been pulled down, to see if any of the stone is 

 of the kind that may be ground down into whetstones. The ague, 

 which was the common complaint there, was due mainly to the 

 standing water of the potters' claypits, and partly to the sunless 

 situation of the small valley. Higher up the river valley it was 

 due to the marshy reed-beds and swamps. The carpenter's 

 industry has decayed, and so has that of the innkeeper. Here 

 and there, on or near the main coach-roads, we come upon 

 the traces of fine inns, such as " The Tippling Philosopher," 1 at 

 Monkton, which would be at the height of their prosperity at the 

 close of the eighteenth century, when vehicles and roads were 

 greatly improved. The milestones bear the date 1767, and part of 

 the construction of the roads consisted in the cutting of steep 

 hills, on which the marks of the older path can still be seen. 



Of the Beforin movement in 1830 I have heard nothing, but it 

 was not a burning question in this district. There were quite 

 lately some memories from Hindon, above the valley, of election 

 times when the borough returned two members, with scenes of 

 disorder and a spirit of corruption. " There was no law at election 

 times," said my narrator. 



Some can still remember machine-breaking, when threshing- 

 machines were first introduced. 



The condition of the working class during this time would be a 

 fruitful subject, but it is out of place here, because many of the old 

 conditions lasted till quite lately, and no great change occurred till 

 the great migrations to Australia and America about 1860 onwards, 

 and the still greater migration of the last twenty years common 

 to all country districts. Even up to the nineteenth century the 



1 There was an inn called "the Tippling Philosopher," at Portskewett, in 

 Monmouthshire, in 1875. What is the story ? 



