Schoolroom
Now before he came there
he asked several of his friends what question was there which the people of Steeple Claydon would be likely to be interested in, and he was asked to say word about allotments. (Applause.) Now he was afraid that what he had to say about the allotment question was nothing new. He could only repeat what he had said in other places. It was very important that the labouring man should clearly understand what was the exact intention of the Allotment Extension Act. On many questions the labouring man, the farmer, and -.the artisan had to go to the squire and ask a favour of him; but in this question of the allotments it was not a question of favour. It was a question of right. The Allotment Extension Act laid down clearly that where in any parish there was any land left for the benefit of the poor of that parish, the poor people of that parish had a right to claim the benefit of the land. Now that was perfectly clear statement, and there could be no mistake about those words. If there was land belonging to a parish they could ask for it, not as a favour, but as a right. They could claim the land, and they could get it. And the Act went a step further and said that land was left for the benefit of parish, and the said land was inconveniently situated for allotments, the trustees must hire other land which might be rented elsewhere, the rent of which was to be paid out of the rent from the land which was left for the specified purpose of allotments. (Voice : “How about Keble Leys,” and laughter.) Well, they saw that the mode of procedure was very simple. If they knew of any field which belonged to the poor, let the labourers at once form themselves into a committee, appoint secretary, and let that secretary write to the trustees about it, and he could assure them that the trustees could not refuse the application. He did not believe that Steeple Claydon such an application had been made and refused. He did not think it ever wonld be refused. All they had to do was to ask for it. There were plenty of people the world who sat with their mouth open waiting for the plum to drop into it. (Laughter.) If they wanted their rights they must ask for them. Knowing that this question excited some interest Steeple Claydon, and having been himself a trustee for the Charity Commissioners some months, he had attended the two meetings which had been held during those two months, and at both meetings he had advocated this question. On each occasion he had drawn attention to the Allotment Extension Act, and he had told the other trustees that under that Act if there was any land belonging to the poor, the poor had a right to it if they only asked for it. He had also asked his father, as one of the trustees, to write letter, which he might read to the company that night, and by this letter they would see that Sir Harry was heartily sympathy with this work, he had been all his life. Now they knew that his father was an older man than he was. And one of the misfortunes of living to a great old age was forgetting sometimes what yon have done as young men. Sometimes was true that many would be glad to forget what they had done when young; but there were others, where things had been done when young which were deeds of goodness and kindness one did not want to forget. If they looked back to the history of the Claydons some fifty or sixty years, when Sir Harry first came to Claydon House, they would know that at that time they could hardly have found country squire who cared about or interested himself the question of the allotments for the working men. Few sqnires at that time cared about the promotion of education amongst the working classes ; but was a matter of fact that one of the chief things his father took up was the labourers’ welfare. (Applause.) And let them recollect this was at a time when the labonrers were looked upon as little better than the cattle on the farms. It was then Sir Harry Verney cut up some of his best fields into allotments, and they have existed as such ever since.to be continued…………….
Bucks Herald Saturday 31 January 1885
