Great Ryburgh and Agricultural Contracting in the last quarter of the 19th C.
|
Rectory Farm Little Chesterford 1874. A collection of interesting papers recently came my way through a well known online auction business and included the following items that tell a story farming in East Anglia. This was at a time when agriculture was undergoing a period of depression and which wasn't helped by a series of bad harvests and extreme weather in the 1870's. We can set the scene with the valuation for Rectory Farm which was part of the Chesterford Estate owned by the Hervey Family and drawn up for Mr Charles Burleigh of Manor Farm, Little Chesterford:
According to sale particulars of 1916 “it embraces an area of about 209.223 acres at that date with a rental value of £215-13/-6d per annum. The inventory valued it as follows:
An affidavit included with the papers is transcribed below:
Rectory Farm (Little Chesterford Essex)
It is to be understood, between myself and my Brother Alfred, that we hire the above Farm in our joint names, the Valuation to be made out in our joint names, but the Farm is to be Alfred’s, he is to have the entire control and responsibility of it. My desire for having my name in it is, that in the event of Alfred at any time leaving the Farm I should be able, without any further application or trouble, to retain possesssion of it.
Charles Burleigh
Witness - J Burleigh (their father) Nov 23. 1874
Alfred, was the youngest son of James Burleigh a farmer and maltster. He had been apprenticed as a miller in his teens but, interpreting the above affidavit, he was encouraged to take on a farm (that was twice the size of his father’s) by his brother Charles, 10 years his senior, and already farming the slightly larger Manor Farm, also in Lt Chesterford. By the Census of 1881, Alfred had left Rectory Farm and his remaining working life was spent away from agriculture, in Camberwell, Lambeth and Tottenham according to successive Censuses. Whilst he was at the farm Alfred seems to have tried to embrace the latest farming technology and done his best to make farming work for him in the circumstances. In doing so, he made a connection to Great Ryburgh and Percival Everitt. From the correspondance between them, one can deduce that Everitt's appearance at agricultural shows around the region had made an impression and from Percy's point of view no doubt justified the time and expense of doing so.
However before looking at the details of Arthur Burleigh's contract with Everitt, a look at his accounts and letters from William Foster of the Wellington Foundry in Lincoln suggests that farming life was not easy for him. It would apear from Foster’s replies that Alfred took out a lease on a 10 Horse Power Portable Engine and a 4’6” Finishing Threshing Machine.
This image of 1888 courtesy of Graces Guide
Being a “stranger “to the firm, his requested reference was taken up and his first payment of £100 was receipted on August 24 1877, the machinery having been “forwarded” by the GNR to Chesterford Station 3 days earlier.
The full price including insurance was £398-12/-7d. He kept up his payments through 1878 but was in arrears by December 1879 when Foster’s were much obliged for the overdue hire payment “glad to hear that we may soon expect to receive more” adding “We can quite understand that you find money comes in slowly. It certainly does in this district” . The final firm but polite letter of the collection dated April 20 1880 finds Foster’s agreeing to wait for another harvest but expecting to be paid in full and reminding Alfred that interest would be charged at £10 % per annum.
It was in July 1880 that Percy Everitt replies to an enquiry from Alfred, made either in remembrance of machinery seen at an agricultural show or quite possibly from press advertising such as Everitt had used quite frequently a couple of year's earlier:
July 10 1880
Dear Sir,
Yours of the 8th inst to hand for which I am obliged - I presume you wish to hire the set of Roundabout Tackle I have at W Cooks to work with your own portable engine - after finding all necessary men - I have not a cultivator by me suitable for the tackle. but I could soon obtain one. Will you be good enough to inform me whether you would do the 100 acres you mention once or twice over, and at what depth - please also say what kind of land yours is and when you would like the tackle - “after harvest I presume” I have a splendid set I could sell you if you contemplated purchasing - or would sell you the set at W Cooks Alfred Burleigh Esq Yours obediently Little Chesterford Percival Everitt
********
Memo To : Alfred Burleigh Esq. July 13 1880
Dear Sir I am much obliged by your letter - I will let you the tackle for a month for £25. you being responsible for breakages through carelessness &c. If these terms suit you - I will have a short memo of agreement made out Yours faithfully Percival Everitt
********
Alfred Burleigh Esq July 17 1880 Dear Sir, Yours of the 15th to hand for which I thank you but regret to say I cannot accept your offer of £20 - for 5 weeks work - It would not pay me at all, as I shall have to hire a suitable cultivator - I note your remarks about uncertainty of weather and in order to meet you as far as possible will alter my terms to the following - viz: That I will let you on hire the set of Steam Tackle at W Cooks for one month from date of removal to date of return for the sum of £25-0/- nett cash - and in the event of the weather being unfavourable so that you have to leave off working the tackle for seven days either separately or consecutively during the month - then the time shall be prolonged from one month to five weeks after the expiration
Page 2
of the month or five weeks as the case may a rental of £5- per week will be charged for the tackle until the same is returned in good condition to the place where it was taken from unless in the mean time some other agreement is come to regarding the same- I feel sure you will agree with me that these terms are very liberal and will leave me a very small margin for profit. If you contemplated doing a quantity of ploughing after harvest I would try and come to some special terms with you if you decide to hire the tackle on the terms proposed Kindly let me know at once so that I can get a cultivator. I would endeavour to spend a day with you on starting the tackle To save time in correspondance I would say that the terms herein contained are (my erased) the lowest I can accept.
Yours faithfully
Percival Everitt ********
Alfred Burleigh Esq July 20 1880
Dear Sir, In reply to your favor of y-day my last letter will mean your having the tackle 5- weeks for the £25 - if wet so stated. Any breakages arising from the carelessness of your men will of course be made good at your expense - you can get the tackle on to your land as early as you please I am endeavouring to get a cultivator down this week - I will also send a driving hand- please let me know which side the engine your fly wheel is on looking from the firebox to chimney - Regarding the penalty of £5 per week - this of course will only apply in case you should continue using the tackle. I will draft out a rough memo of agreement. but I shall hope to have the pleasure of making your acquaintance shortly
Yours truly Percival Everitt ********
Memo To Alfred Burleigh Esq. July 21 1880
Dear Sir - The cultivator leaves for Chesterford Station tomorrow - Please pay the carriage on same and I will refund amt. when we settle.
Yours truly P Everitt
******** There is no further information to be gleaned from these papers regarding the outcome of Alfred's farming experience and Percy Everitt's inventive genius by this time was beginning to diversify into non-agricultural projects copyright November 2020 |
|
