The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-29 00:00:00

THE DUKES OF BUCKINGHAM
AND MAR f,WROUGH'S AG RIC ULTURA L
LABOURERS.
The condition of agricultural labourers around the
Duke of Buckingham's Wotton domain is deplorable.
In W.aldesdon, an adjoining parish to Wotton, at
this time upwards of thirty able bodied labourers
—some with wives and families—are unable to ob-
tain work, and are now on the verge of starvation,
their only means of subsistence being begging from
door to door. Marlborough and Buckingham are the
Lords of the soil in Waderesdon, the greater portion of
the parish being the property of these monopolist Dukes.
A correspondent writes us as follows :—On Friday af-
ternoon, two half-famished looking men called on me,
soliciting my assistance by a trifle of cash to enable
them to purchase some food, or a bit of broken
victuals from my hands. Their appearance cou-
vinced me they were not regular tramps. I called
them into my office, and found they were from a neigh
bouring parish. In answer to my questions, the fol-
lowing mournful tales were told me. They came from
Waddesdon—a place with which I was acquainted
—one of the parishes adjoining Wotton, the re-
sidence of the Duke of Buckingham. The first I
questioned gave me the following replies :--" My
name is Daniel Turner ; I am 23 years of age ; be-
long to Waddesdon. I have tried to get work in the
parish, but cannot. I have only had txo days' work
within the last seven weeks. When in work the farm •
ers would give me a shilling a-day. As I could not
get work, and was almost starved, I applied to the
guardians for relief ; they say I am an able-bodied chap,
and must shift for myself. They would neither relieve
me nor let me go into the workhouse. I would rather
be in a workhouse, or even in a gaol, than to be obliged
to beg from day to day for my living, round the coun-
try, as I am." The other individual gave me, in
answer to my questions, the following distressing
tale :—" My name is John Bull, of Waddesdon. I
am twenty-four years old. I have had only four day:
work for the last eight weeks. When in work 1 would
earn a shilling a day. There are as many as thirty
out of work in Waddesdon. I have, with Turner,
been begging for the last month fnr my living. I have
neither father nor mother ; as I cannot get work I
must either beg or starve. The parish will not
assist me ; they say I must get work,' and
that I cannot do. If the farmers of our parish would
only employ one man to every forty-five acres of land,
there would not be one of us out of work. They
will not employ us ; the parish will not assist us ; and
I suppose I must be starved. If I go to Waddesdon
I have no home or place to lay my head, nor will the
farmers give me work. If they would, I could get lodg-
ings, and work for my living." I told him he was liable
to be imprisoned for begging from place to place. This
brought from him the following energetic reply :
" Yes, Sir, I know it, but what am I to do ? I
keep myself to the truth, and if I am taken up
for so doing, I cannot help it. In a prison I should
not be starved ; and begging is the only
thing that I have to save me from perishing."
He declared he had never been before a justice
in his life. Is not this a bad state of things ? The
Standard says,“ Bucks is the pattern county." I pre-
sume it meant for beggary and starvation. Devonshire
is said to be bad for agricultural labourers, I doubt
whether it can be possibly worse than Buckinghamshire.