258 



Notes on the History of Ale re. 



other farms belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall. The farm house 

 and buildings adjacent were erected about 1720, when tradition 

 says the homestead was built for the " Lord Farmer " of the Duchy 

 rents, &c. The bricks were made at " Knoll," a hamlet now in 

 Barrow Street Farm, and considering there were no macadamised 

 roads in those days the cost of transit must have been enormous. 



Prospect Farm is a very recent formation, in its present extent, 

 being principally composed of the rectorial glebe (which was sold 

 by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners) and various contiguous pieces 

 of land belonging to the Grove estate, some of which was acquired 

 by exchange with the Duchy of Cornwall. 



Agricultural Survey, 1793. 



An unpublished MS., evidently intended to form a portion of a 

 report on the agriculture of the County of Wilts, dated 1793, and 

 entitled " Agricultural Survey of Wiltshire," has lately come to 

 light (probably from the Stourhead Library). It was apparently 

 written for the Board of Agriculture, but the writer confined his 

 notes to this district, and did not complete his work. 



The pages are divided into two columns, and subjoined is a literal 

 copy of the portion relating to Mere : — 



Geneeal Outlines op Situation 

 and State of Peopeety. 



1. Mere with the Hamlets of 



2. Zeales. 



3. Wolverton. 



4. Chaddenwyche. 



5. Burton. 

 Nos. 1 and 5 are held by Geo. Au- 

 gustus Schutz, Esq., under the Priuce 

 of Wales. 



Nos. 2 and 3 chiefly to the Devisees 

 of W. Chafin Grove, Esq., whose 

 residence was at Zeales. No. 4 is 

 Sir Richard Hoare's. 



Rectory is Mr. Grove's, held uuder 



Vicarage is a Peculiar of Dean of 

 Sarum, present Incumbent Rev. Mr. 

 Allix. 



I Soil — Size op Inclosuebs, &c. 



Zeals and Wolverton are inclosed 

 and chiefly Sand Land. 



Mere has a few Inclosures South 

 of the town, also a few Inclosed farms 

 particularly Mere Park farm, but the 

 greatest part of Mere Land is still in 

 Common, viz., four Arable fields. 

 A Large Common. 

 Common Meadows. 

 Common Downs. 

 Soil of the three fields toward the 

 Downs is Whiteland, and that toward 

 Stourton a very bad Whiteland. 

 The field E. of Town— good Loam. 

 Meadows and Conion Pastures, 

 I strong clayey Loam and capable of 



great improvement. 

 I Chaddenwych farm is several, and 



