Charles Hurrell entered into this lease agreement with Mary Ann Rowing in 1890 when he undertook to farm the land around what is now Laurel Farm.
Table of Contents:
Text of the lease
The following is the text of the lease; the original document is reproduced below. The original document has very little punctuation and no spaces (presumably to prevent additional words being inserted) . The text below has been reformatted to make it more readable, but no words have been changed. Footnotes have been added where a word or phrase is not clear.
This Indenture made the thirtieth September one thousand eight hundred and ninety between Mary Ann Rowing of Deopham Norfolk Spinster (hereinafter called the Landlady) of the one part and Charles Hurrell of Deopham Farmer (hereinafter called the Tenant) of the other part
Witnesseth that for the considerations hereinafter contained the Landlady so far as she lawfully may demises to the Tenant all that farm containing Twenty three acres or thereabouts of Arable and Pasture Land in Deopham with the farm buildings thereon now occupied by Archibald Rowing’s Executors (excepting unto the Landlady all trees and minerals and liberty of entry for her and her nominees at all times to cut dig convert and remove the same for all reasonable purposes)
To hold from the eleventh October next for one year and so on from year to year until the Tenancy shall be determined by twelve months’ notice in writing at the yearly rent of Thirty Six Pounds Ten Shillings payable half yearly on the sixth April and the eleventh October save the last half year’s rent which is to be paid on the first August.
The Tenant covenants with the Landlady
To pay the rent as aforesaid and to pay all the rentcharges rates taxes and outgoings (except Landtax and Quit rents1) to farm the Lands in a good husbandlike manner and according to the best rules of good husbandry and the Arable lands according to the Norfolk four course system2 and so leave the same.
To keep and leave the hedges, ditches and fences properly cleaned and trimmed.
And in the last year3 to give the Landlady fourteen days notice to supply grass seeds and sow such seeds with the Barley and harrow in and roll the same grasses and not after harvest feed any live stock thereon except swine well ringled4.
To consume with his own cattle on the premises all the straw roots and green crops grown on the Lands during the tenancy except the Hay straw and roots grown in the last year which he is to leave at the end of the tenancy together with the unconsumed manure for the Landlady at Valuation in the usual way.
To stock upon the premises all the last year’s Corn and Grain and thresh the same and preserve the straw, chaff and colder5 [??] for the Landlady who is to carry out the said Corn in quantities of not less than twenty Coombs6 at a time (except the last load) to any place within six miles and paying the usual price for threshing and dressing and bringing back the empty Sacks to keep and at the end of the tenancy yield up all the doors fastenings fixtures of the Buildings and all the gates and the irons thereof fences stiles posts pales rails and other things belonging to the premises in as good repair and condition as the same now are or shall be put into by the Landlady, reasonable wear and tear only excepted on being provided by her with rough timber for such repairs on request.
And not to break up Pasture Land nor mow any pasture twice in one year on two years in succession not underlet the said premises or any part thereof without the Landlady’s consent in writing.
The Landlady covenants with the Tenant to keep the external parts of the Buildings in tenantable repair.
And it is agreed that the tenancy shall be subject to a right of reentry by the Landlady on nonpayment of rent within twenty one days after due (although not demanded) also upon break of any of the Tenant’s covenants and also in case of the Tenant’s Bankruptcy of Insolvency or on the institution of proceedings for liquidation of his affairs by Assignment of Composition.
In witness whereof the said parties to these presents have hereunto set their hands and seals the day and year first above written.
Signed sealed and delivered by the above named Mary Ann Rowing in the presence of Robert Reyner.
Signed sealed and delivered by the above named Charles Hurrell in the presence of William Allen.
Copy of the lease
Reproduced with permission from the Wymondham Town Archive, their ref 82/113
Supplementary Agreement
Whereas Charles Hurrell of Deopham in Norfolk Farmer holds a Farm and lands at Deopham as Tenant under a Lease dated 7th October 1890 from Miss Mary Ann Rowing the late Tenant for life of the same under the terms of consuming thereon all the Hay grown on the premises
And Whereas the Tenancy of the said Charles Hurrell under the said lease expires on the 11th day of October next under a notice from the Trustees under the will of Archibald Rowing the owner in reversion7 in fee of the same
Now it is agreed that the said Charles Hurrell shall have liberty to sell or remove a Stack of Hay grown in the year 1899 but so as not to affect the other provisions of the said Lease.
Dated the 8th day of January 1901
Charles Hurrell
Reproduced with permission from the Wymondham Town Archive
The above supplement cost the trustees of Archibald Rowing’s estate 17s 2d according to the account presented by Pomeroy’s the solicitors:
Reproduced with permission from the Wymondham Town Archive
Footnotes
- Quit Rent: parts of the property were “copyhold” (these are defined in the plan reproduced here). This medieval system originally required the tenant copyholder (called a villein) to offer services to the Lord of the Manor; in later time this was replaced by the payment of quit rents allowing the copyholder to quit his obligations to perform services for the Lord of the Manor.
The 1882 Sales Particulars show that at that time the Quit Rents for this farm were:
– Payable to Deopham Hall: 2/6d
– Payable to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury: 6/8d ↩︎ - The Norfolk Four Course System was promoted in the 18th century by the agriculturalist Lord Townsend of Raynham and involved the rotation of four crops:
I) Clover has nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots. The top growth would be
harvested during the summer and dried for winter feed, then sheep allowed to forage on the remainder, their dung providing some additional nutrients.
II) Wheat was grown on the land enriched by the nitrogen from the clover roots and the sheep dung.
III) Turnips would follow the wheat. These could be lifted and stored for winter feed or the livestock were allowed into the field in autumn to feed on the turnips, their dung providing another nutrient source.
IV) Barley was grown in the fourth year following the turnips.
The system was distinctive in not having a fallow year. The availability of fodder crops every year meant that livestock could be bred continuously. This new system was also culuative in its benefits because the fodder crops consumed by the livestock produced good supplies of previously scarce animal manure thereby improving the crops. The livestock were healthier and more manure was thus available. ↩︎ - The last year referred to here is presumably the last year of the four year crop rotation cycle referred to in the note above. ↩︎
- Ringled is understood to be the same as ringed. “Well ringled” implies more than one ring. The rings were inserted in the pigs’ noses to prevent them ripping up grass in pasture land by the roots. ↩︎
- Colder (also spelt coulder) is the weed seeds, husk and barley havers left from threshing. It was probably fed to the hens. ↩︎
- A Coomb was 16 stone (100 kg) for barley and 18 stone (110 kg) for wheat. It was a standard unit of measure in Norfolk as long as grain was handled in sacks. It ceased to be used as grain was handled in bulk grain carriers. ↩︎
- Reversion is an interest held by a prior owner in property (i.e. the trustees of the estate of the late Archibald Rowing) given to another (i.e. Mary Ann Rowing), which, upon the happening of some future event (i.e. the death of Mary Ann Rowing), will return to that prior owner (i.e. the trustees of the estate of Archibald Rowing). ↩︎
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 26/9/23 | 1901 supplement |
| 7/9/23 | Published |
Deopham History 