R3/3889

Letter mainly regarding Heghington, Ampthill Board and migration of families from Cranfield, employment, Poor laws and Toddington labourers etc.

17 Sept 1835

From: 1835 To: 1835

Reads- Heighington as tenant to succeed Nixon's son-in-law in house & shop. I went to Ampthill Bd. today to get information about migration of families into manufacturing districts. Beard has returned from 3-mth. visit to Lancs; his account of employment is highly gratifying; he saw 3 families from Cranfield in July who have got on exceedingly well, & he is now sending away a lot more; altogether by the end of next week he will have got 16 families (about 100, old & young) from Cranfield, where they were destitute, into full & regular work at high wages. The Ampthill Bd. resolved to send an intelligent man to make a circuit among the manufacturers to ascertain likelihood of work; and if prospect good to arrange with someone on the spot to send information as to where people are wanted, as well as to meet the paupers when sent & help them to get work. I expect great good will come out of this; hope on Monday to get our Bd. here (i.e. Woburn) to join Ampthill. The new system working its way quietly. After harvest we had many applications; we said we could not find work; last Monday we had not a single application. On enquiring of the Relieving Officer what had become of the 28 Toddington labourers who said they could not find work, he said 19 had got work, 9 not. At this time of year every cottager has the produce of his gleaning, his allotment, pig etc., & his harvest wages, so better able to go out of parish to seek work. Wilden. Batchelor recovering slowly.

item

Heighington,
Nixon,
Beard,
Batchelor

tenancy, FAMILY, HOUSING, shops, buildings and land use, AMPTHILL, Poor Laws, MIGRATION, employment, manufacturing, travel, Lancashire, CRANFIELD, manufacturers, POVERTY, WOBURN, harvesting, relieving officer, TODDINGTON, labourer, cottager, gleaning, allotments, pigs, agricultural wages, parish, WILDEN, health