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 … 600The 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 … 500From 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 ↩