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Cobbett 1830
... we came down to a very fine farm-house, which we stopped a little to
admire; and I asked Richard whether that was not a place to be happy in. The
village, which we found to be STOKE-CHARITY, was about a mile lower down this
little vale.
... After, however, crossing the village, and beginning again to ascend the
downs, we came to a labourer's (once a farm house), where I asked the man,
whether he had any bread and cheese, and was a little pleased to hear him say
'Yes.'
Then I asked to give us a bit, protesting that we had not yet broken our
fast. He answered in the affirmative, at once, though I did not talk of payment.
His wife brought out a cut loaf, and a piece of Wiltshire cheese, and I took
them in hand, gave Richard a good hunch, and took another for myself. I verily
believe, that all the pleasure of eating enjoyed by all the feeders in London in
a whole year, does not equal that which we enjoyed in gnawing this bread and
cheese, as we rode over this cold down, whip and bridle-reins in one hand, and
the hunch in the other. Richard, who was purse bearer, gave the woman, by my
direction, about enough to buy two quartern loaves: for she told me, that they
had to buy their bread at the mill, not being able to bake themselves for want
of fuel; and this, as I said before, is one of the draw-backs in this sort of
country. I wish everyone of these people had an American fire-place. Here they
might, then, even in these bare countries have comfortable warmth. Rubbish of
any sort would, by this means, give them warmth. I am now, at six o'clock in the
morning, sitting in a room, where one of these fire-places, with very light turf
in it, gives as good and steady a warmth as it is possible to feel, and which
room has, too, been cured of smoking by this fire-place.
...
When we got here to Burghclere, we were again as hungry as hunters. What,
then, must be the life of these poor creatures? But is not the state of the
country, is not the hellishness of the system, all depicted in this one
disgraceful and damning fact, that the magistrates, who settle on what the
labouring poor ought to have to live on, ALLOW THEM LESS THAN IS ALLOWED TO
FELONS IN THE GAOLS, and allow them nothing for clothing and fuel, and
house-rent! ...
Looking, now, back again, for a minute, to the little village of
Stoke-Charity, the name of which seems to indicate, that its rents formerly
belonged wholly to the poor and indigent part of the community. It is near to
Winchester, that grand scene of ancient learning, piety and munificence. Be this
as it may, the parish formerly contained ten farms, and it now contains but two,
which are owned by Mr. Hinton Bailey and his nephew, and, therefore, which may
probably become one. There used to be ten well-fed families in this parish, at
any rate: these, taking five to a family, made fifty well-fed people. And, now,
all are half-starved, except the curate and the two families. The blame is not
the land-owner's; it is nobody's; it is due to the infernal funding and taxing
system, which of necessity drives property into large masses in order to save
itself; which crushes little proprietors down into labourers; and which presses
them down in that state, there takes their wages from them and makes them
paupers, their share of food and raiment being taken away to support debt and
dead-weight and army and all the rest of the enormous expenses, which are
required to sustain this intolerable system. ...
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