Journal entry – John Grey – 9 Sep 1833

Monday 9th September 1833



Highside

Rode up the Tyne Banks & then to Highside, where I bargained with a Mason & Joiner, for building a Pig Stye, Hen House & Coal Shed, & to relay the barn floor.  



Haydon Bridge Stables

Thence proceeded to Haydon Bridge to try if by any means I could contrive some more stabling for the Inn at little expense.  The Inn is becoming much more frequented under Hetheringtons better management than formerly, & he has sometimes of late been obliged to send his Coach Horses to stables in the neighbourhood, to make room for those of strangers.   As there seems now a good prospect of this becoming a well established Inn it is necessary that it should have adequate accommodation for horses.  The range of buildings within the yard contains at the farther end, a house hitherto used as a Dog Kennel, and another adjoining it, which is let to Mrs Routledge as a Cowhouse, though at the time of letting  the Inn, I believe Mr Hooper considered, as was natural, that the whole belonged to it, if these two were laid together, they would make a stable for five horses, & by putting a roof over the yard of the Dog Kennel, it would give a Shed for Gigs etc.  But then Mrs Routledge would have no Cowhouse, & in the way that her house is situated , it is impossible to make one in the back of the premises, there being no passage from the front backward, but through the dwelling house.  Yet it is obviously a bad arrangement to have her Cowhouse in the Stableyard of the Inn, & occupying room which ought unquestionably to be a stable.  I called upon Mrs Routledge & told her that it was far from my wish to incommode her in any way, but that she must see how we were situated for want of stables, & acknowledge the inconvenience of having her premises connected with the Inn yard, & begged of her to endeavour to provide some other place for her Cow, & put us in possession of the present one.  I proceeded to inspect the building at Lipwoodwell & returned by that at Haydon Town - both in charge of Mr Howden - & I must do him the justice to say that he is making very good work.  Called also at Brokenheugh to look after draining & repairs there.  The Harvest is getting on now satisfactorily but not many Stacks are seen yet in that part.



Aggriculture [sic] of the District

On this subject I am tempted to remark, that the slovenly mode of harvesting the grain in this particular district, exceeds any thing I have elsewhere met with, although the absence of adventitious manures & the extreme cheapness of harvest labor would, one might think, offer the strongest inducement to the farmer to cut his corn as low as possible, instead of leaving one third of the Straw to wither on the ground, which if taken home would make such a valuable addition to his fold yard manure.  A farmer on the Tweed or in East Lothian would be scandalised in every company and looked on as an incorrigible sloven, who should leave his fields in the ordinary condition of those in this part of the County after harvest.  Of the Tenantry here, it may be with fairness remarked, that tho’ they profess in a high degree the praise worthy qualities of industry & frugality, they are very deficient of knowledge as to the customs and management of other parts of the kingdom, & like ignorant people in general, much wedded to their own.  There are some implements in common use in many parts which have never been seen here, & the introduction of which would be a great improvement, & those even of a simple & cheap description.  One would be almost tempted to rent a small Farm & put it under the management of a Tweedside Steward, for the sake of showing an example, though I fear they would be slow to follow it.  It cannot be supposed that Farmers daily occupied in the same fields, should know much beyond the bounds of their own parish, & on this account, agricultural societies formed of spirited & intelligent men, have been the means of leading to many improvements in different parts of the Country, and I should be much inclined to promote one here, could I find support and cooperation among the proprietors & higher class of farmers.  A Tenant or two from the Borders would be the best stimulus but most of the Farms here are beneath the notice of a man of Capital, and the larger ones have been held at too high rents & are generally in too impoverished a condition to afford sufficient attraction to induce a man to emigrate in quest of them.