Land of Hope
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Land of Hope
The Rector's Drainage Scheme
Barwicker No 11
September 1988
During the nineteenth century, the rectors of Barwick-in-
Elmet were substant1al landowners. In 1861, Rector Hope owned about
1450 acres in Barwick township, with a gross annual rental of
£1380. He farmed little himself, but leased his land to 16 farmers
at Barwick, Whinmoor, Kiddal Lane, Grimesdike and Barnbow,
including in Barwick village, Matthew Wilkinson (Rectory Farm),
Margaret Perkin (Lime Tree Farm), John Hemsworth (Low Farm).
Thomas Barton, Richard Newby and William Thompson (all three of
Main Street).
In the mid 1850's, Rector Hope made major improvements to his
lands. He arranged to have drains laid in 58 of his fields, about
a quarter of his total land. The details are listed in two account
books kept at the Leeds District Archives at Sheepscar. The work
went on from 20 December 1853 to 8 February 1856, with breaks for
haymaking, harvesting, etc. from early July to early October.
The work involved digging ditches and laying ear t henwar-e
pipes costing £487. The pipes were not made locally, as the Yor it
and North Midland Railway Company was paid £65 to transport the a .
The pipes were carted to the fields at a cost of £69. They were
laid in the ditches by eight men from Barwick Village: George and
William Cullingworth, Thomas and William Knapton, Thomas and
William Collitt (Collett), William Blakey and Thomas Siberry. For
this they were paid an average of 2s. 8d. a day. They also did a
small amount of the ditch digging and were responsible for
unloading the pipes. at a total cost of £20.
The account books list the financial details field by field.
The ditches were dug and later filled in by a considerable number
of local labourers. They were paid as individuals, in pairs or in
small groups of not more than three or four. perhaps members of
the same family. They were not paid by the hour but by the length
of ditch dug. The rate must have been individually negotiated as
it sometimes varied slightly between men working in the same field
It also varied a little with the season and for different fields.
The units of length used were changed several times. For the
first three months. The records include an unfamiliar unit of
length abbreviated to Ac., together with yards. Simple arithmetic
reveals that one Ac. was equal to 28 yards. If any reader knows
the Origin of the Ac., I should be glad to hear. This is my
suggestion. Ac. looks like an abbreviation for acre. An acre is
4840 square yards. It is often represented as a rectangle of
length 220 yards and breadth 22 yards. The term "acre's breadth"
is used to mean 22 yards. However, there is a now-obsolete
measure of area called an Irish acre, which was 7840 square yards.
This can be represented as a rectangle of length 280 yards and
breadth 28 yards. Was an Ac. an Irish acre's breadth?
For the next two months, chains and yards were used. (One chain equals 22 yards) Then chains and links were used. (One
chain equals 100 links.) Finally for the rest of the scheme, rods
were the chosen units. (One rod equals 5½ yards.) A satisfactory
unit had finally been found by a process of trial and error.
In three fields worked during the week ending 18 February,
1853, at least 28 men were employed with a total wages bill of
about £30. These would be drawn from labourers normally hired by
the day, the week or the task, not the regular farm servants, who
were hired by the year. Local labour only was used until the last
3-4 months of the scheme. Then, surnames such as O'Neill, Burke,
O'Donnell, Doran, Flynn and Duffy are listed. A few travelling Irish
labourers had arrived. They appear to have been recruited and paid
in the same way as the local labour.
Who organised the scheme is not recorded. It is probable
that the same person ordered the pipes, arranged their transport,
recruited the labourers, superintended the work, paid the wages and
the bills, and wrote up the books. The most likely candidate is
Rector Hope's land agent, as yet unidentified, who in addition to
his normal salary was paid an extra £1 a week for the work
involved. The whole scheme cost £2455, including about £1900
spent in the township.
The scheme increased the value of Rector Hope's land. To the
farmers involved it meant increased production from their fields,
but also increased rent as the landlord recouped his investment.
For the day labourers, it meant increased job opportunities,
perhaps full-time employment for 25 men or the equivalent in part-
time work, reducing unemployment in the winter months.
An increase in total wages of £1900 during two years
represents a considerable injection of money. In Barwick village
there would be more money spent on meat from the butchers' shops
of William Thompson and James Perkin and more shoes bought from
the Richardson brothers, the village shoemakers. There would be
increased custom for the pubs; for William Knapton at "The
Gascoigne Arms", John Fowler at "The Black Swan", John Pullan at
"The William IV" and Richard Hewitt at "The New Inn". And there
might have been more children educated at the village school.
ARTHUR BANTOFT
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