Journal entry – John Grey – 26 Jul 1833

 Friday 26th July 1833     Hexhamshire 



Gairshield Planation

After writing letters & in the Office I rode over to Wooley & thence forward into Hexhamshire, to join Mr Hunt, who had been there a day before, looking into the Condition of the farms, fencing & draining, and where I had appointed to meet Mr Parkin, Woodkeeper, to examine the condition of a slip in the steep bank of Gairshield Plantation caused by the undermining of the stream.  On the top of the bank, the plantation is divided from the public Road by a stone wall, & another slip of the bank would inevitably precipitate both wall and road into the channel of the Stream.  It has gone on too long, and from its dangerous appearance & to prevent greater damage, I thought it necessary to give directions to Angas, Woodman in Hexhamshire to take immediate steps, by some cradles to be made of the Scotch Firs of the plantations & filled with brushwood & stones, to prevent a repetition of the mischief. 



Gairshield

I then took a general view of the farms in that district, & a minute & particular one of those which the tenants have applied to be quit of.  Of Gairshield, held by Andrew Thoburn, I formerly expressed a pretty decided opinion, & from all I yet see, & all I can learn of its produce in tillage, from the inhabitants of the district, I am more confirmed in the opinion that it should be occupied as a Sheep farm, confining the growth of Corn to a very few acres near the place, merely for home use, & to supply some straw for the farmers, or Shepherds, cows in the winter - for in this case, the penal clause against non residence should be dispensed with - the coarse grass which it produces & the shelter afforded by the plantations rendering this land much more valuable as an appendage to a mountain farm, and as a resort for Sheep in winter, when the food in the high ground fails, or the storms force them into a lower country, than under any other occupation.   I asked old Andrew Thoburn, who migrated as a mountain Shepherd from Scotland upwards of 30 years ago, if such was not his opinion.  ‘Aye, said he, had that been done at first it wd have saved the tenant who took it £1300 which he lost by ploughing it, & the Hospital all the expense of those useless dykes & buildings - as for the house, it is twice too big -  but its built like a dry stone dyke, the wind blows in the reek (smoke) comes out on all sides, & we can hardly get a spot to sit in’.   Andrew has left off growing corn, but as he is now going to give up the farm, he talks of ploughing out and sowing all that his lease allows him.  I much question his ability to do this, but as it would be very injurious to the farm, now that it has come to a cover of grass, I think that it might be well to compromise with Andrew & give up a part of his Arrear, which it is very doubtful that we may ever get, & secure it against being ploughed.  



Stinted Common

The Hospital’s Estate in this district possess the right of depasturing a number of Sheep upon ‘a Stinted Common’ & those Stints are apportioned among the different farms in the Shire.  This arrangement proves itself to be bad, by the fact that the occupiers of the farms in the low part of the vale, sublet their Stints to the tenants of Gairshield & Eadsbush, whose lands adjoin the Common, for a very small consideration, (about 4d per head per annum) rather than incur the expense of looking after them at such a distance.  As I have above mentioned, Gairshield is well adapted to keep those Sheep in Winter, which the high & barren Common will maintain in some months in summer.  And as the whole together would be more valuable than when let in parts, it would be well to attach all the Stints to Gairshield & Eadsbush.  At present however that can only be done with those farms that are given up.



Mirehouse

Mirehouse is a farm of only 80 acres, in the lowest part of the vale, occupied also by the family of Andw Thoburn & contiguous to Aydon Shields, now held by Mr Dixon, both of which they have applied to be quit of.  Many reasons exist to make it advisable to let these farms together, which at the risk of being thought tedious, I must enumerate (for when I felt myself called upon to state an opinion, it is only just that I should also state the reason on wch that opinion is founded.)  Mirehouse like other small farms in similar circumstances, has been let hitherto, less with reference to its actual value, than as a situation for keeping ponies for carrying Ore.   That is now much diminished & as the new roads to communicate with the line of railway to the South, come into use, the conveyance of Beaumont’s Ore through the vale will likely cease altogether.  The land must then be let according to its value to farm only.  This place is too small to be occupied to advantage, or to command a respectable tenant.  It consists mainly of turnip Soil wch Aydon Shields much wants.  The same Machine would serve both - the same household establishment and fewer horses would work them together than separately & from the variety of land, to greater advantage - and strange though it may appear, the dwelling house upon the small farm, would with very little improvement, suffice for both, while that on the larger is scarcely habitable & was intended to be replaced with a new one.  We should thus save in building.  We ought I think to obtain as good a rent & to secure a substantial tenant in the room of old Andw Thoburn!  Andrew says, Mr Hooper promised him, that whatever rent his farms might let for next year, should be the rent he would have to pay for this, of this he is quite certain.



Staples is a small farm of 60 acres, also given up.  Like others, taken for the Carriage of Ore it is now too high rented at £135:0:0. The  Hospital having nothing near it, it can only be let by itself.  Here and at Thoburns Farms I thought it necessary to order a few days works to repair the roofs & prevent injury to the Timber, till a new letting shall decide their future management.