Note
The only bit I wanted from this book was “Wymering: 1000 head of sheep” but it was so interesting I ended up transcribing the whole thing. The report I’ve excerpted this quote from is really interesting - it builds quite a detailed picture of agricultural life in Hampshire at the close of the 18th Century.
Quote
SHEEP
We are now going to treat upon a subject of the fist consequence in a national point of view, for it must be admitted by all, that sheep, and their produce, are the principal support of the three leading resources of this kingdom, viz. Agriculture, Manufactures, and Provision. In Agriculture, we can scarcely produce a crop of corn without their manure, particularly in poor land, and it is generally allowed, the greater the stock of sheep a farmer can winter, the more his farm, as well as himself, will improve. With respect to Manufactures, wool is considered as the staple commodity of this kingdom, and very properly so, for it is, or ought to be, wholly the produce of our soil: it furnishes employment for an immense number of the poor, as well as middling class of people, and also the merchant, for the export trade. It is, therefore, highly necessary every encouragement should be given to the improvement of wool, which, in a few years, if properly attended to, would answer all the purposes of foreign wool for our own manufactures, and thereby enable us to undersel at foreign markets: and as to Provision, the produce of sheep is beyond all calculation, as every city, town, and village, in the kingdom will fully demonstrate, and without which, this nation would have long ago found a great scarcity of animal food.
Having thus pointed out some of the grand advantages arising from sheep, we shall now enter more minutely into the subject, as relating more particularly to this county.
The original Hampshire sheep is horned, and for the most part with a white face, though some few have speckled faces; they were formerly long-legged and narrow, but are now much improved, and are short legged and well carcassed; they are an excellent kind for fatting; their wool is also much improved.
In some parts of this county, the South-down sheep have been introduced, and found to answer extremely well, as three can be kept instead of two of the Hampshire sort. The present average of the weight of wool is about 10 fleeces to a tod1, and the average weight of ewes about nine stone, and wethers about 11 stone, but they vary in different parts of the county.
Hampshire lambs have for several years past, at Weyhill fair, sold for more than any other breed; the rams are frequently sold for 30 guineas each.
Hampshire is considered as a great breeding county, and the stocks in most parishes are very large, although they are supposed to be reduced one-third, on account of the downs having been broken up, and the inclosures which have lately taken place. The following is a particular account of the stock in the following parishes in this county, which may afford some information to the Board upon that interesting subject.
East Meon … 3,000 Porchester … 400 Wymering … 1,000 Froxfield … 1,000 Berryton … 2,100 Clanwell … 1,200 Callington … 500 Warnford … 1,200 West Meon … 1,000 Privett … 800 West Tisted … 800 East ditto … 1,000 Winchester … 2,000 Chilbolton … 3,000 Twybugt [Twyford?] … 3,000 Compton … 1,800 Stoke Chanty … 1,600 Mitchel Dover … 4,000 Stratton … 1,000 West Stratton … 600 Northington … 600 Swallington … 500 Waltham … 2,500 Upham … 1,000 Droxford … 2,500 Kilmerton … 700 Cherryton and Binyon … 2,000 Titchbourn … 1,000 Andover … 5,000 Clapworth … 1,000 Goodworth … 1,000 Abbotfhard … 1,200 Minsten … 2,000 Truckston [Thruxton?] … 500 Kimpton … 1,600 Weyhill … 200 Shipton and Sniddington … 2,000 Lower Tidworth … 1,300 Clandvill … 400 Penton … 700 Inham … 350 Usbund Terrant [Hurstbourne Tarrant?] … 1,500 Bourn … 400 Usbund Prior [Hurstbourne Priors?] … 1,300 Long Parish … 1,800 Barton Starcy … 3,000 Crawley … 1,200 Foxcot … 500 Wearwell … 2,000 Leckford … 1,300 Longstock … 1,500 Wallop … 2,000 Ditto … 2,000 Wonson … 3,000 Tufton … 1,000 Whitchurch … 5,000 Woodcot … 750 Bullington … 1,000 Stockbridge … 500 Autin … 1,500 Kingsambourn … 2,000 Litchfield … 1,000 Quarley … 1,500 Ashley … 1,000 Greatley … 800 Little Sambourn … 1,500 Fawley … 500 Hursley … 4,000 Worthy’s 1500 Ditto … 1,500 Ditto … 1,500 East Woodhay … 2,000 Ashmansworth … 1,200 Highclear … 800 Berkley … 2,500 Newtown … 500 Crockseaton … 1,000 King’s Clear … 12,000 Freefolk … 1,000 Oakley … 800 Overton … 4,000 Ash … 1,300 Sutton Scotney … 1,000 Dean … 900 Hannington … 800 Wolverton … 700 Ewhurst … 500 Linkenholt … 1,000 Wotton St. Lawrence … 3,000 Wotton … 600 Basingstoke … 1,400 Clidsden … 1,000 Farley … 500 Dummer … 1,200 Preston Candover … 2,000 Nutley … 700 Ellerfield … 600 Tuxworth … 500 Basing … 600 Two Sherborns … 1,200 Nately, Shewers, and Aswell … 500 Mapledon Well … 500 Up Nately … 500 Grewel … 600 Upton Grey … 1,000 South Warnbro’ … 700 Weston Patrick … 600 Ditto Corbet … 700 Shalledon … 1,400 Larksam … 750 Bentworth … 700 Herread … 800 Waltham … 700 Popham … 600 Chiltern Candover … 1,000 Brown ditto … 800 Tetford … 600 Woodmancot … 800 Hartley, Wintery, and Etheringham … 2,500 Exton … 600
The following places chiefly buy lambs and ewes to fat, and sell both afterwards:
Fareham … 1,500 Titchfield … 3,000 Alvertoke … 800 Ronner … 200 Wickham … 500 Farlington … 200 Bellhampton … 700 Havant … 500
From the best accounts we have been able to get, we conceive the number in the whole county to be about 350,000; from one-third to one-fourth of these are tags, kept for the supply of the stock. The lambs are put to the ram, at the Michaelmas twelvemonth after they are lambed; they are kept to breed when two, four, and six, toothed. The full-mouthed ewes, are regularly drawn out about the middle of August, and put to the ram, in order to get forward, for the graziers in the rich lands of this and the adjoining counties. The weather lambs are sold off about Michaelmas to the same parts. Most of the upland farmers follow this mode.
Ewes begin lambing early in February; they are fed on turnips, grass, and vetches, till the weaning time, when they are weaned and turned upon the downs with their young sheep. But few house lambs are raised in this county.
The ewes generally fetch from 16 to 26 shillings each, if well kept; and the lambs from ten to eighteen shillings each.
Folding is generally practised in the upper part of this district, but not so much in the lower parts.
It is common practice, in the low parts of the county, for the farmers to take in sheep to winter, at about five shilling per head, from Michaelmas to Lady-Day.
In some parts of this country the sheep are subject to the rot, which has hitherto been almost certain destruction to them; it is generally occasioned by land which produces a spungy grass. In the course of our survey we met with Mr. Thomas Fleet, of Moundsmere farm, near Basingstoke, whose cure for that destructive malady has been under the consideration of the Board. Nothing could be more desirable than to find an effectual remedy for that disorder, as we have been informed, that upwards of a million sheep annually die of the rot in this kingdom, and that last year more than double that number were destroyed by this fatal disease.
— Warner, Richard (1795) Collections for the History of Hampshire, and the Bishopric of Winchester. Vol. III App. 1. Agricultural Survey (source)
Note
On the first page of the appendix, it’s mentioned that Hampshire “contains 253 parishes, 77 vicarges, and 1062 villages. It is divided into 39 hundreds, has near 200,000 inhabitants, sends 26 members to parliament, pays 14 parts of the land-tax, and provides 960 militia.”
More sheep than people, then.
Question
Why does King’s Clear have 10x the sheep of any other locality?
Quote
MANURES.
On the sea coast, sea sand and mud might be used to great advantage, if properly managed, and without which it is of very little service to the land. It should be mixed with chalk or loam, and turned over two or three times in the course of a year, when the vegetative parts will be properly incorporated and sweetened, and will then be found of great service as a manure for most lands.
Sea weed, is best spread over the land as soon as it is collected, in the proportion of about 20 cart loads to an acre.
There is on the sea coast, near Emsworth and Havant, a fine marle, that is found to improve the deep land very much.
— Warner, Richard (1795) Collections for the History of Hampshire, and the Bishopric of Winchester. Vol. III App. 1. Agricultural Survey (source)
Question
I’m well off my original topic here, but this is fascinating. Did this occur at scale? Is there any evidence for this extraction in the landscape today?
Footnotes
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Two stone ↩