King George III.

FRAGMENTS OF TWO CENTURIES.

GLIMPSES OF COUNTRY LIFE
WHEN
GEORGE III. WAS KING.

ILLUSTRATED.

WITH AN APPENDIX SHOWING THE RISE AND FALL
OF THE RURAL POPULATION IN 45 PARISHES IN THE
ROYSTON DISTRICT, IN HERTS., CAMBS., AND
ESSEX, FROM 1801 TO 1891.

BY

ALFRED KINGSTON.

ROYSTON: WARREN BROTHERS.
1893.

PREFACE.

Though the town of Royston is frequently mentioned in the followingpages, it was no part of my task to deal with the general historicalassociations of the place, with its interesting background of Courtlife under James I. These belong strictly to local history, and thereferences to the town and neighbourhood of Royston simply arise fromthe accidental association with the district of the materials whichhave come most readily to my hand in glancing back at the life of ruralEngland in the time of the Georges. Indeed, it may be claimed, Ithink, that although, by reason of being drawn chiefly from localsources, these "Fragments" have received a local habitation and a name,yet they refer to a state of things which was common to all theneighbouring counties, and for the most part, may be taken to stand forthe whole of rural England at the time. For the rest, these glimpsesof our old country life are now submitted to the indulgentconsideration of the reader, who will, I hope, take a lenient view ofany shortcomings in the manner of presenting them.

There remains for me only the pleasing duty of acknowledging manyinstances of courteous assistance received, without which it would havebeen impossible to have carried out my task. To the proprietors of theCambridge Chronicle and the Hertsfordshire Mercury for access tothe files of those old established papers; to the authorities of theCambridge University Library; to the Rev. J. G. Hale, rector ofTherfield, and the Rev. F. L. Fisher, vicar of Barkway, for access totheir interesting old parish papers; to Mr. H. J. Thurnall for accessto interesting MS. reminiscences by the late Mr. Henry Thurnall; to theRev. J. Harrison, vicar of Royston; to Mr. Thos. Shell and Mr. JamesSmith, for access to Royston parish papers—to all of these and toothers my warmest thanks are due. All the many persons who have kindlyfurnished me with personal recollections it would be impossible here toname, but mention must be made of Mr. Henry Fordham, Mr. Hale Wortham,Mr. Frederick N. Fordham, and especially of the late Mr. JamesRichardson and Mr. James Jacklin, whose interesting chats over bygonetimes are now very pleasant recollections.

A.K.

CONTENTS.