On the .incient State if Farming in Great Britain In ancient times, when agriculture was little under stood, and still worse executed, the ground was chiefly cultivated on account of the proprietors, by persons re tained in their service, who enjoyed or received a cer tain part of the produce, as a reward for their labour, and for the support of the stock employed in its cultiva tion. A system of this kind, it is believed, prevailed less or more over all Europe for many centuries, and was gradually abandoned, as cultivators gathered stock of their own, and were enabled to rent land from the ac tual proprietors. This rent, in the first instance, consisted chiefly of services, something similar to what prevails in many parts of the highlands and isles of Scotland at this day ; it was afterwards changed into the pay ment of a certain quantity of grain, or articles of pro duce, as agreed upon between the parties ; and finally, as improvements were introduced, and the circulating medium became more plentiful, rent was changed into a money payment ; a mode of settling that matter now generally practised, and certainly more convenient and agreeable than any other, both for proprietor and ten ant.
From this succinct statement it must be obvious, that the size of farms, in the first instance, would be small and confined, while the condition of the tenant would he abject and poor. A tenant just emancipated from a state of bondage and villeinage, could not easily throw off the chains which formerly shackled his mind, and pre vented his natural independence from coming into ac tion ; hence many generations would pass away before tenants were capable of asserting their just and lawful rights, or even before they could find out that it single right appertained to them independent of the will ofthcir landlords. This is so well know n to have been the ancient state of British tenants, that there i-0 no need of enlarging upon it. They obliged to lollow their chief into the field, when called upon, or they were removed from his estate. In fact, before 1449, no tenant in Scotland secure of possession, as, upon the entrance of a new proprietor, he could be effectually removed without the formality of law ; security being obtainable only by the most slavish and implicit obedience. The general situation of the tenantry, under these circumstances, may be easily conceived ; and it is wonderful that the country attained such a degree of improvement, when the condition of those by whom it was to be carried on, was so abject and miserable. Exceptions, however, must be made ; and these were numerous amongst the tenants of church lands, who were treated much more kindly and affectionately than their brethren, who occu pied the lands of the barons. It deserves also to be no
ticed, that the general state of Scotland under the Anglo Saxon kings, as already mentioned, was comparatively peaceable, and that the people were allowed to remain at home, employed in their domestic occupations ; and were rarely called out to meet a foreign invader, or to repel the attacks of a domestic enemy. These eircum Aances, however, were changed after the decease of Alexander II1. the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings. Du ring a period not shorter than seventy } cars, the country. with little cessation, N; as engaged in the most cruel wars, which put a stop to every kind of internal improvement, and disposed the people to the practice of rapine and plunder, instead of an honest and industrious life. Nor did the termination of these succession wars, and the establishment of the Stuart handy on the throne, restore domestic tranquillity. The different chiefs, acting some what like rival monarchs, destroyed and wasted the do mains of each other with fire and sw ord ; and their ten antry, obliged to assist them in these ravages, were exposed in their turn to similar treatment from their an tagonists. in such circumstances, husbandry could not flourish ; nor could those engaged in it be either pros perous or happy. In fact, internal peace was not re stored till near the end of the 16th century, when James V1, was firmly seated on the throne, and when law as sumed its just control over the inhabitants.
In England, the situation of affairs was scarcely more flourishing. Till the end of the 15th century, or the reign of Henry VII, our sister kingdom had continued in a state either of domestic or foreign warfare ; during which the tenantry were called into the field at the plea sure of their respective chiefs, and exposed to death and destruction, without having any real interest in the quar rels in which they engaged. The tenantry of England, however, w( re better off than those in Scotland, because civil disturbances did not prevail so often, nor was their country invaded and ravaged, as Scotland repeatedly was, during the reigns of the three Edwards. It was only the northern counties of England that were exposed to the partial inroads of the Scotch, and these were the most barren and uncnitivated of the whole ; whereas the best parts of Scotland, lying nearest to the enemy, always suff.n.ed most, whilst the northern and uncultiva ted districts generally escaped. The lord protector Somerset, in one of his marches through East Lothian, burned one. half of the t illagcs and farm houses, carried off all the horses and cattle within his reach, and reduc ed the country to a state of misery, from which it did not recover for many years.