Netherby Estate

The Graham family owned the Netherby Estate, including Longtown and much of the surrounding parishes of Arthuret and Kirkandrews on Esk, as well as part of Bewcastle. They were not only the owners of the estate, but various members of the family were local magistrates, MPs and Clergy so they had a great influence over the lives of everyone in Longtown.The most prominent member of the family was Sir James Robert George Graham, son of Sir James Graham Bart. of Netherby. He was first elected to parliament as Whig member for Hull in 1818, and went on to have a long political career, before dying at Netherby in 1861. His brother, the Rev William Graham, was the rector of Arthuret for many years. Another brother, Major George Graham, was registrar general of England and Wales. It was Sir James R G Graham who did most to develop the Netherby estates during the 19th century. His grandfather, the Rev Robert Graham, had started the transformation of the estate in the late 18th century but by the time JRG Graham had taken over the management of the Netherby Estate from his father's agent, Lister Ellis, in the 1820s, the estate was debt-ridden and in a state of poor repair. Over the next couple of decades, the estate was rebuilt and many of the small hamlets in the area disappeared. Good tenants were rewarded with larger farms and longer leases; poor tenants were encouraged to leave. The Netherby estate paid for the drainage of the poorest, low-lying ground, and awarded prizes at the annual Netherby Farmers Association, to encourage the tenants. Farmers on the Netherby estate had to follow strict tenancy agreements; there were some disagreements between the tenants and the estate over the years, but many farmers chose to stay on the estate for many years and some eventually bought their farms when the Netherby Estate sold many of them in the early 20th century. The Netherby estate still exists although it does not own Netherby Hall nor most of the farmland any more, and does not wield the same power in Longtown as it used to.

The Netherby Estate

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Tenancy Agreement from the 1820s (With thanks to John Beagle)

Tenant to pay rent in two equal portions, at Whitsunday and Candlemas, in each year; the first Term?s payment to commence at Whitsunday.Tenant to pay all taxes and burdens imposed, or that may be imposed, by law on Tenant during his lease; and to insure the Houses and Messuages against loss or damage by fire, to the amount of - - Tenant engages ? To maintain the said Houses, Messuages and Appurtenances in good and sufficient repair at all times; and annually, in the month of May, to white-wash in a proper manner the whole walls of the Premises. He, moreover, engages to keep all Hedges, Fences, Dikes, Gates, Stiles, Ditches, Drains and Water-courses, in complete good order; and to leave the whole in good tenantable order and condition at the termination of this Agreement. Should the tenant fail in fully performing this condition to the entire satisfaction of the Lord of the Manor or his agent, liberty is expressly reserved to the Proprietor, as often as he chuses, to cause a thorough repair to be made, to be paid by the Tenant at the next Rent collection. Should any new Fences be necessary, either as Boundary or Subdivision Fences, the same shall be lined out and executed at the sight and to the satisfaction of the Agent, at the Tenant?s expense ? the Proprietor furnishing Thorns and Hedgerow Trees from the Nursery.To consume all Vestures on the Premises and to carry off no Vestures, Dung or Manure of any kind, at the end of TermOn no pretence whatever to plough up any ancient Meadow, Pasture Ground or old Swaird ? or to pare and burn the surface for any purpose, without the written consent of Sir James Graham or his Agent; and it is expressly understood, that for every Acre of such Meadow and Pasture Land, broke up and burned without the consent of the Proprietor, the Tenant shall pay Ten Pounds Yearly and every Year ? and that not as penal, but as pactioned, Rent, in addition to the clear Rent already specified.Never to have more than one half of the whole possession under tillage at any time during the Lease, under the same express understanding, that if the Tenant should at any time chuse to infringe on the condition, he shall pay to the Proprietor Ten Pounds of additional Rent, Yearly and every Year, for each Acre he may plough up beyond the extent hereby restricted ? and that not as penal, but as pactional Rent, in addition to the Rent already stipulated; and never, in any case, to take more than two White Crops running from the lands, without a well-managed and manured hoed Green Crop or Summer-fallow intervening.After Fallow or Green Crop, to lay down the ground the following season with Wheat, Barley or Oats, with a sufficient quantity of Grass and Clover seeds sown and harrowed in, in a husbandman-like manner, and the ground so sown out shall continue in Pasture at least - - year.The last Year of the Lease the Tenant shall have ? acres, either in Naked Summer-fallow, Turnip or Potatoes, properly ploughed, limed and manured; and if Naked Fallow, he shall be allowed a fair and reasonable compensation for ploughing and labour, as well as the value of the lime applied to the same ? such compensation to be fixed by the Jury of the Manor of - - for the time being.The Tenant never to sell off any Meadow, or other Hay, or Wheat Straw, without bringing upon the Farm One Ton of good putrescent Dung or Manure for every - - stones of Hay or Wheat Straw disposed of; or - - Bushels of good Lime, in place of Dung.The next incoming Tenant to have liberty to enter on Naked Fallow Ground at Michaelmas, and on Green Fallow Ground at Martinmas next, before the end of time; and to have liberty to sow and harrow in Grass and Clover Seeds on any Ground sown with Corn during the last Year of the Term ? and such ground so sown out shall not be depastured with any other Stock than Calves or Sheep during such last Year.Tenant on no account whatever to subset the Farm, or any part of it, but occupy and reside on the Premises during the Term; and in case of a Commission of Bankruptcy being issued against the Tenant (or against his Lawful Heir who may be permitted by the Lord of the Manor after his death to enjoy this Agreement) at any time during the Term, the Lease to be from thenceforth void and at an end.On no account shall the Tenant?s Pigs, Horses or Cattle be allowed to go at large on the Public Roads; otherwise he shall forfeit and pay to the Lord Three Shillings for each animal found so trespassing.The Tenant shall, within - - years from the commencement of his Lease, effectually under-drain and reclaim - - acres of the said Moor or Waste Land, to the entire satisfaction of the said Sir James Graham or his Agent ? Draining Tiles being allowed to the Tenant, at the Kiln, gratis, for the said drainage; and the Land, when so reclaimed, shall be managed in the same manner as the other Arable Lands of the Farm.The fullest power is reserved to the Proprietor at any time to resume possession of any portion of the Lands hereby Let, for Planting Trees, or any other purpose, as well as for Working, Winnowing, Smelting and Transporting Minerals of all description; the Tenant, however, to be repaid a fair abatement from his Rent, at the sight and judgment of the Jury of the Manor, and the plantation so made to be fenced in at the Proprietor?s expense.The Tenant to be allowed a fair proportion of Peat Ground on - - Moss, subject to every Regulation laid down to the Moss Bailiff, for the proper working and management of the same, and to pay the accustomed dues.Tenant to use the Mill of - - - for all Grain he may grind, as use and wont in the Manor of - - - Tenant to preserve, with the greatest care, all Trees in Plantations and Hedge-rows, for the use and behoof of the Proprietor, and he shall be answerable for all damage that may be done to the same; besides a money payment of Five Pounds for every head of Cattle, Horses or Swine, belonging to the said Tenant, found trespassing in the Woods or Plantations; and if wilful injury is done to said Woods, Plantations and Growing Trees; this agreement shall, from the time of offence, be rendered void and at an end; and the Landlord shall in that case be fully empowered to re-enter into possession, or Let the demised premises to any other Tenant.Tenants, at all times during the Term, to protect Game and give discharges to, and information against, all Poachers or others, Hunting or Shooting on their grounds without the consent of Sir James Graham; the Tenant also to permit Actions to be brought in his name against all trespassers; and to enter into any covenant Sir James Graham may require for carrying his orders into effect for preserving the Game within his Manors and Estates; and a power is expressly reserved for Sir James Graham, and all whom he may think proper to authorise or permit, to Hunt, Shoot, Fish and Fowl on the demised Premises during the Term.

From the Farmer?s Magazine 1852Netherby, the estate of Sir James Graham, occupies the north-western extremity of the county on the Scottish Border, and extends from the Solway for seven or eight miles up Eskdale. It includes in one compact and undivided property the whole of the land between the lower part of the river Line and Dumfriesshire, and comprises altogether nearly 30000 acres of land, between 2000 and 3000 acres of which are wood, much of it fine old timber. Sir James succeeded to the estate upwards of 30 years ago, and since that time he has been unintermittently engaged in its improvement. Neither time nor large expenditure has been spared to make it what it is now confessed to be ? the best conditioned estate in Cumberland. Time and money alone would not have done this had not both been expended with judgement; and it may surprise our readers to hear that a statesman, who during the greater portion of that time has occupied so conspicuous a place in the councils of the nation, is more minutely acquainted with the details of arable farming and the general management of land than many men of inferior capacity who devote their whole lives to the business.The leading feature in this management and improvement of the Netherby Estate has been the timely consolidation of the good land into large farms, and the proper subdivision and enclosure of the inferior lands. An idea may be formed of the extent to which this principle has been acted on, and the consequent diminution of an overgrown agricultural occupying population, from the fact that the number of rent-paying tenants holding land in 1820 was 340, and in 1850 only 165. Fine farms of 300 and 400 acres now occupied in one holding by an enterprising tenant, were then held in seven or eight separate possessions. The demolition of useless clay buildings and superfluous hedges caused an immense saving of horse-power; and as one great feature in the management seems to have been the careful selection and encouragement of good tenants and the unsparing weeding-out of bad ones, Sir James was at every step assisted by his tenants in the further improvement of his property. He had not to work single-handed against ignorance or indifference, but enlisted on his side both energy and capital. In planting sheltering woods to enhance the value of his farms, he was at the same time laying by an improving capital; and in erecting new buildings, in draining, removing and replanting fences, making open water-ways and embankments, and constructing roads, he was assisted by his tenants, who contributed in labour a material part of the cost. The buildings on the estate, which were then chiefly of mud and thatch, have all been replaced by substantial stone and slate. Year after year sees a diminishing extent of moss, the landlord contributing the material for drainage and the tenant performing all the other cost of the reclamation. During the currency of his lease he enjoys the benefit of his industry, but at the close of it the landlord participates in the increased value caused by the improvement.. . .The farms are all let on lease at money rents for a period of 14 years, free of all manner of tithes. The tenant enters on his farm at the term of Candlemas, and pays his rent at two terms in the year ? Whitsuntide and Lammas. He pays all taxes, rates and burdens, already imposed or that may be imposed, by law upon farmers during his term of possession. The stipulations as to management are very stringent, but we were assured that a good tenant is never interfered with.

Watercolour of Netherby Hall by James Coates Railton, with thanks to Bill Anderson