Journal entry – John Grey – 12 Oct 1833

Saturday 12th October 



Elrington 

Rode to Highside to see the Repairs ordered there, which are done now, except the Slates laying on.  Proceeded by Bagraw & Langhope to Elrington which I examined minutely.  This Farm contains a good deal of rough pasture, which is capable of considerable improvement, with a good portion of turnip & barley Soil.  The present tenant occupies along with it, a small farm adjoining belonging to Mr  Tweddell, the Corn from which he thrashes at Elrington, which gives him the power of dividing the manure between the two, as he pleases, so that he can give one, an advantage over the other, as his will or interest may direct.  I found the tillage Land in poor condition, but in a rotation conformable to the covenants, which however in a new Lease should be altered.  It surprizes me to find how little even the most intelligent of the tenants seem to be aware of the possibility &advantage of keeping their land in a fresh & productive condition by a suitable interchange of corn & pasture in their rotation, instead of pursuing a course of cropping that leads to perfect exhaustion & how ignorant they are of the best kinds of grasses for Sheep pasture, the very names of which they seem never to have heard.  So that when their land is too poor to grow red Clover, which is frequently the case, instead of sowing such grasses as it would produce, they treat it with a crop of Pease, the better half weeds, & not infrequently as I discover to a second crop of white Corn, by way either of restorative, punishment [underlined]. There is great truth in the remark made by Mr Hunt to day in reference to this farm, that the Tyne is 50 years behind the Tweed in point of agriculture.  Yet they are very positive & I question if even Mr Sinclair of New Cross, Black Heath with all his Woburn experiments could induce them to alter their course. In cases where the Leases prescribe that certain fields should be laid to permanent grass by the tenants.  I find that the Grasses have invariably failed, & that the land has been consequently continued in tillage, or if in grass, in a most unpredictable state.  Seeing that it is hopeless to get it done effectually by the tenants, & indeed that it is rather hard to require it, I would recommend in cases where it is of absolute importance to obtain a permanent pasture as in two steep fields at Coastley, unfit for tillage, but adapted to grass, that the tenant should be bound to a good fallowing of the land & to bring to it such quantity of lime & to lay it on, as may be at the time required of him by the Receiver, & to sow in good order, such grass seeds as may be provided for the purpose by the Receiver - both seeds and lime being paid for by the Commissioners.   This plan would give the best chance of insuring success.  



From Elrington Mr Hunt went on to examine some draining at Lipwood but not being in condition for a very long ride I returned home, examining in passing through Hexham the house which Mr Leadbitter had informed Mr Hooper would be vacant at May Day.   In point of situation it is as unexceptional as any in Hexham, & has a very good small Garden, with a two Stalled Stable.  But the house is exceedingly old & in such bad condition that the present occupier, who only came last May, quits it as being uninhabitable.  The lodging rooms do little more than allow me to stand upright under the Ceilings, & to get through the doors, I was obliged to stoop.  The floors are rotting into holes & altogether the condition so bad that the whole inside must be taken out, to make it a habitable house.  It might no doubt be had very cheap, because few would occupy it.  In the Plan of Dilston Ground herewith sent, the site of the ruin & Shipleys house are marked, as well as the proposed situation for a new house. The Ground is in some measure occupied by the ruin & partly by Trees.  The principal part of the Dilston Hall had been removed and the materials used in many buildings both in Hexham & Corbridge.  The fragment that still remains has no beauty though it might possess a sufficient degree of interest to protect it against being altogether removed.  The outward walls being gone, it now exhibits brick partitions and broken Chimnies & fire places & if it should stand and we should build there I would propose to cover it as quickly as possible with giant ivy & surround it with Shrubs.  The spot called an Orchard on the plan is used by Shipley to grow potatoes etc and is very poor with a very bad old fence about it.  By giving it some additional Soil, it might be made a Garden.  Shipleys present house & Garden should be included in the premises to be rented by the Receiver, that he might turn them over to his Clerk, with a Cows keep for which they would be particularly convenient.