102
THE SAXONS IN ENGLAND.
[book i.
of Wight (in great portions of which vegetation is
not abundant) our Saxon forefathers had half as
much under cultivation as we now have, we should
obtain a quotient of about thirty-one acres to the
hide, leaving 49,610 acres of pasture, waste, etc.: the
ratio between the cultivated and uncultivated land,
being about 37:49, is much too near equality for
the general ratio of England, but may be accounted
for by the peculiar circumstances of the island.
Again, Beda estimates Thanet at 600 hides1.
Now Thanet, at this day, contains 23,000 acres of
arable land, and 3500 of marsh and pastures, The
latter must have been far more extensive in the
time of Beda, for in the first place there must have
been some land on the side of Surrey and Sussex
reserved as Mark, and we know that drainage and
natural causes have reclaimed considerable tracts
in that part of Kent2 ; nor is it reasonable to sup-
pose that our forefathers ploughed up as much
land as we do. Yet even 23,000 acres will give us
only 38⅜ acres to the hide ; and I do not think we
shall be venturing too much in placing the 3200,
3800 or 5000 acres by which 23,000 respectively
exceed 19,800, 19,200 and 18,000, to the account
of pastures and commons. Seven or eight thou-
sand acres of common land would bear in fact so
unusually small a proportion to the quantity under
crop, that we should be disposed to suspect the
islanders of having been less wealthy than many
1 Hist. Eccl. i. 25.
? The river Wantsum alone was three stadia wide, about a third of a
mile, and was passable at two points only. Bed. Hist. Eccl. i. 25.
сн. W.]
THE EDEL, HI'D OR ALOD.
103
of their neighbours, unless we give them credit
for having sacrificed bread crops to the far more
remunerative pasturage of cattle ɪ.
The whole acreage of Kent is 972,240 acres.
What amount of this must be deducted for waste,
rivers, roads and towns I cannot say, but some de-'4
duction is necessary. Now Kent numbered 15,000
hides: this gives a quotient of 64 to 65 acres per
hide ; and at the least, one half of this may fairly
be taken off for marsh, pasture and the weald of
Andred.
The calculation for Sussex is rendered uncertain
in some measure, through our ignorance of the rela-
tive proportion borne by the weald in the seventh
century or earlier, to its present extent. The whole
county is computed at 907,920 acres, and the weald
at 425,000 acres. We may be assured that every
foot of the weald was forest in the time of Beda :
to this must be added 110,000 acres which are
still waste and totally unfit for the plough : 30,000
acres now computed to be occupied by roads, build-
ings, etc. may be neglected : our amount will there-
fore state itself thus:
Whole acreage...................... 907,920
Wealdand waste................ 53δ,000
372,920 acres.
` The great fertility of Thanet is noticed by the ancients. Solinus
(cap. xxii.) calls it “ frumentariis campis felix et gleba uberi.” But corn
ɪs of no value without a market; and unless London or the adjacent
parts of the continent supplied one, I must still imagine that the
islanders did not keep so great an amount in arable. It is true that at
very early periods a good deal of corn was habitually exported from
Britain : “ annona a Britannis sueta transferri.” Ammian. Hist, xviii. 2.