6 3 8 
president’s address. 
by the Trustees of the common from time to time, so far as 
I have been able to trace them. 
Taking the Peat digging, or Hover cutting, first, the date 
for commencing cutting in 1832 (the earliest year that I can 
find any reference to), was May 8th, at 2 p.m., and none were 
to be cut after July 15th. No part of that common called 
the Southfen was to be cut for fuel, it all being Smee, Smeath, 
or smooth feeding ground. 
People allowed to benefit by common rights were those not 
occupying tenements of more than £5 yearly value, or more 
than ten acres of land. Any common holder, who was unable 
to act for himself, was allowed to appoint some one else to 
cut for him. 
When cut and partly dried, the hovers were to be 
arranged in stacks, six yards long by one yard wide and two 
yards high, or 216 square yards for 1000 hovers. 
5000 hovers was the maximum number allowed to be cut 
by each common holder. This, at is. a hundred, the price 
that dried hovers were sold at, would give 50s. worth of 
fuel, to last a cottager for the year — allowing just over 
thirteen hovers to be burnt per day — rather more than was 
required, I am told. 
If the doing was good, a man could cut 100 hovers in five 
minutes. Two men, still living, are known to have done (his. 
The old fashioned ovens in which bread was baked by hovers 
had a chamber above, as well as below, into which burning 
peat was put, so as to bake and colour the loaves at the top 
as well as at the bottom. The base of the top chamber was 
convex. This gave more heat to the sides of the ovens, 
and allowed room for loaves to rise higher in the centre. 
The only printed account of Norfolk peat cutting that I have 
seen describes the hovers as being four inches square, each 
square foot of peat producing nine hovers, each yard 81, and 
each acre 392,000. At is. per 100 this would make an acre of 
hover ground worth /196. But no present inhabitant of 
