Durham E-Theses Somerset 1800 - 1830: an inquiry into social and economic conditions Lawrence, J. F. How to cite: Lawrence, J. F. (1941) Somerset 1800 - 1830: an inquiry into social and economic conditions, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10440/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk THESIS PRESENTED ?0R TIE DEGREE O^F I'.LITT. D^E^^-'^.r lEIVEKSITY J.ir.L'V^.'RE^TCS IT.A, The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. SOIIERSET 1800 - 1830 AIT lUQUIRY IITTO SOCIAL AKD ECONOMIC CONDITIONS CONTENTS Cf. 1-2) C^io^rajfy |>.3-^J TT^'^T^ro duct ion f-l^ ^^1:V,l:. ; Scope of the thesis General survey 2. Political History ^,2^-IS" (1) Extent of Representation (2) Reformers (3) County Elections (.4) Borough Elections 3. Law and the Administration of Justice f- (1) State of the La-^'i Analysis of various sentences? Rising costs of the Administration of Justice. (2) Prisons: Ilchester Gaol 4. Agriculture p. ^ (1) \griculture loefore 1800 ^) Marshall (1794)? Billingsley (1797); Acland (1851) (2) The Reclamation of the i:oors(_pl4-'?) The Brue Drainage Scheme (1801 - 7) The Axe Drainage Scheme «5."07) The general problem ;progress^defects. (3) Enclosure in General (p-S"?) Acts regulating Enclosures (4) Problems connected with Enclosure/p5'^} Progress of Enclosures in Somerset (5)Size of Earms Cf.4>®) (6) Enclosures and Drainage (Parochial) (7) Enclosures led to Better Roade Cf.kS) (8) The Use &S Agricultural L'achinery6^) (9) The Improved Value of Land (10) Improved Methods on the Arablei (11) Improved Methods : Pasture ^^-73} (12) Improved Methods ; Stock ^'^{^ (a) Cov/s (b) Sheep (c) Pigs (d) General Considerations - Conditions in lobl CpSo) (13) Expense of Enclosure •( 14)Procedure under an Act C^-^^) (15) ^.Tio r;ere to receive Allotments? Q.'^O (16) ^That Y^ere they to receive? (17) The Lord of the lianor Cf-i«0 (18) The Church and the Rector (p.^t>^ (19) ITew Lands for Old ^f.^^) (20) Social Erotlems: The Yeoman CpJoO i The Poor (Cottagers and Squatters)(jr/(n^ (21) The _Poor Law ^f- t^Q (22) Social Conditions; Jarm Labourers (f.l^o) "/ages - Pood - Housing Conditions 5. Industry ir^- (1) i:7ooi (2) Silk C^.l^) (3) Coal ^.1^^) (4) Zinc - Lead - Iron ((^iS?) (5) Cider - Brewing Q.'^^O (6) Coinmunications (a) Roads C^. >h) (h) Canals 6. Social and Cultural Influences p. /4^' (1) The Church f. l<+7 (a) In the Ilendips (b) Ahsenteeism; Dispute near Taunton 1809 (c) Theological Disputes at Bridgv/ater 1817-25 (2) Education (3) Humanitarian ism at Bath 1800 - 1830 f./^O (4) The Dispensary at ^ViveliBCombe />- (5) The Cordwainers Company of Uells ^./^z. (6) The Theatre: Bath 1822-3 f /^f (7) The Militia p.'7' 7. Appendices p, iy(s> I §\i P.ny [1] List of F.P's for Somerset & Borough Franchises (182X) |>,f7f(2) Ilchester Party Elections 1800 - 1831 f,n^ (3) List of Knights of the Shire 1796 - 1830 p,;^c(4) Phelps on Eranchlse of ^lells and Milborne Port p, |5l (5) Local (T-overnment at rilborne Port p,l^^(6) ITotes on Vfilliam Dickenson f.(B(7) Poor Rates 1791 - 1838 (67 Parishes) Somerset Gaols (Annual Return: 1821) BIBLIOGRAPHY Acland (and Sturge)s Parming of Somerset (1851) Acland, Sir S.-I*. j Charges at Somerset Sessions (1805 -35) 1'1>S ACTS (statutes at Large) 20 Henry vi c 4 13 Edv/ard i c 46 3 &4 Edward vi c 3 s 3 13 George iii c 8 2 George iv c 23 ACTS (Private) Chapman's Act 1802 Payne's Act 1799 (See also; Enclosure) Awards;(See Enclosure) Address to the Freeholders of Somerset (1806) Allen: Theatrical Review (Bath) 1822-3 Bayne-Powell ;English Country Life in the Eighteenth Century Billingsley: General View of the Agriculture of Somerset (1797) Bridle: Narrative of Ilchester Gaol (1822) Buxton: An Inquiry T.Tiether Crime and llisery are Produced or Prevented by our Present Prison Discipline Case for the Proposed Ship Canal (1825) Cheddar: SurveyorF.' Account Book. (P.oads) 1797 I'^S Clarice, Tom: Diary (1320) ;'S3 Cobbett: F.ural Rifles (Everyr^an Edition) £ Vols. Collinsoni History of So-:erset (1791) 3 V.ile. Cordwainer F.' Co?~ipany of "'ells, Entrj Books 3 .vr.C 4 . 1775 ~ 1G15 1"15 - 1871 Earle: Bath Ancient and ^^odeiTi EconoiTiic Histoi v Review: •"'ol.I No. 1 Enclos'oi-e Ac^s and ;i.i:aidB (Dates only £;iven --^-ei e ^red) ;.Cr A'.V.r:D AGhcott 1797 Axo Diainage 1CC.7 ' ICIC Irne Di'J'.inage IGCl lc07 (Encloprre Acte and Arards contd.) • Actt: Charlton A dan C: Charlton rackrell IGC^ Charlton "orethorn ir.i<. .IL Cheddar i:ii Cheddar jFriddj jc" Rodney Stoke. ICll 1001 Chilton in Toorlinch 17^6 1017 • Combe St, Ticholas 1S14 Cossington lo04 16 2G Congresbur^' Drainage (v.Yeo) 1819 Crorcombe 1776 Curry Rivel 1833 Doulting 0. Stoke lane 1775 lOlC Drayton 1817 li,i9 Dundry 1C15 East & 'Test Cranmore 1770 East Harptree 1794 1019 Exmoor Eorest Forsingtonj^'incanton,(?-. Zapperton 1769 Huntspill ICCO . Ilchester 5 Stoke-under-Haiabdon, 1306 1010 . 1"i n tinhul 1, Ashi ngton," I^i^Tnington 1810 Keinton !::andeville 1804 Long Sutton 1797 1314 Long Sutton 1810 I'artock 1005 1017 rilborne Tort (1003. 1812) 1833 reroche 1014 1023 Tortishead 1791 Rodney Stoke 1796 Street 1016 Wellington 1026 1827 '•'est Ijdford Y/eston super l^are 1010 '^est Sedgemoor, Stoke St. Gregory, 1616 rorth Curry, i: Curry Rivel (Enclosure Acts and Arards contd.) \Z1 "Tivelisconbe 1029 1030 ".'raxall,railsea,c riax burton 1013 Yatton 1751 Yeo Drainage 1019 10^.i Gonner: Common Land and Inclosure Gough: ::ines of Ilendip Green; Bibliotheca Soraersetensis Vols. I <?•. II Halevy: History of the English People '"ol.I Hancocks Hinehead Hansards Royal Kalendar (1822) Holden's List (1805) Hone; Reformists' Register (1817) HoT^;ard: State of the Prisons ( 1774) Huish; Life of Hunt 2 Vols. Hunts Prison Addresses Hunts Hemoirs 3 Vols. Hunt: Peep into a Prison- or Ilchester Bastille (1021) Ilchester Gaol: Chaplain's Book (L'SS) Land of Britain: Fart 86: Somerset by Otuart-Honteath S. C .Horeland s (Report of Land T'tilisation ourvej) Lavrences Duty and Office of a Land otev.'ard (1726) Letter to the Ereeholders of Somerset (1606) Lutridges Strictures (on a Sermon entitled the ITecessitj of Philosophy to the Divine) 1825 i-ainwaring; Annals of Bath (1800 - 1835) Hanor of Langport Eastover Presentment of Jury at a Coiart Leet (19C6) Balance Sheet (1935 - 6) Conveyance of tvo Beast Leazes to a Com:„.oner (1913) IJjb Harshalls Rural Oeconomy of the "festern Counties of England (17£4) Ilatthev;; The Churcliman Dissuaded from Becoming a .-ember of the Bible Society (1817) Hatthe^i^s The Necessity of Philosophy to t'/ie Divine (1825) Hcliurtie: The Radstock Portion of The Somerset Coal Jields (10C4) Heakin: Hannah >;ore K7- ]:inutes of the Bridgwater Corporation (ISCO - 1820) Lbb Kinutes of •Q,uarter Sessions (Somerset) (1800 - 1806) F.olesworth: History of England (1830 - 1874) Vol. I Llore K. : Memoirs More M. : I'endip Annals I'lOrland (see Land of Britain) Orwin: Reclamation of Exmoor Forest Phelps: Parochial History of Somerset 2 Vols. 1839 Pigot; Directory 1822 1826 1830 Population Returns 1831 ^., Reply (to a Qermon entitled the Churcliman Dissuaded from Becoming a M'eraber of the Bible Society) 03 'A Laj^-raan' (1817) Report of the Poor Lav; Corainissioners (1R34) Report of the Royal Commission on Ilchester Gaol (1822) Report of Special Assisstant Poor Law Commissioners on the Employment of "'omen and Children in Agricultui-e (1843) Royal Kalendar (see Hansard) Rules (for the Guidance of Overseers ".c) Ilminster (1001) 1 sheet Sandford: Tom Poole and His Friends 2 Vols. Savage: History of Taunton (1822) Slaters English Peasantry Som.erset Archaeological Society Proceedings x>;ix Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries xviii 8: xx Sturge (see Acland) Sweetraan: The French in 7incanton Taunton Coiorier 1808 1830 also 1847 The Times 1819 Toulmin (see Savage) Trial of the Taunton Election Petition (1831) Victoria Co:"nty History of Somerset Vol II. Visits to a Prison (1821) ^"arner: V-'alk through Some of tl^e Western Counties (1800) '^.^itehead: The ChurclTraan Upheld in his Support of the Bible Society (1817) SOMERSET 1800 - 1830 " INTRODUCTION Scope of the thesis This is an inquiry ihto the conditions of life of the people of Somerset during the opening years of the nineteenth century. This is the principle upon which material hss been selected. There is no attempt to show the life of the upper classes, nor to trace local connections of famous men during these years. The chief object of the inquiry is to throw light on the economic conditions of the working classes.