New-York tribune., 1890-07-13
A MODEL LANDLORD.
THE ENGLISH GENTLEMAN OF TIE OLDEN
TINE

.ase his situation is serious, for he is coiSldcldDN
past eighty years old and at that aec any Illness
is an alarming matter During tie last halt-dozen
wears. however the sturdy old peers life has scV-
cral times been despaiTcd Of; but he has paile"
fcath and when his friends have locked daily
for his funeral hc has astonshcd and cehgh'cd
them by rcappparirg in his GIG, driving ms noooed
chestnut horse AZ a rattlnG pace through the high
WAYS and byways Of Cheshire, generally with
spare relief horse led behind by lon- rem IT.
would not, | think he cNtraNa2ant TO speak OF
Lord TOllemachc as the most picturesque ana most
signincant and al the same time most hopeless
figure in all the present generation Of EngllSlheh
Picturesque he Is. beyond doubt as any man 'l
more than eighty years who retains such phyScal
and mental faculties, and exercises them - such
advantage, is almost sure 70 he. But his social
industrial ard political significance is still more
noticeable. For here is a man who for many years
has practically cAcmplicd the vital capabill'Ics
that yet reside in agricultural Eng land. for Nal"
a century and more ne has shown the world a land
lord holding vast possessions and drawing t1crc-
from princcly revenue, with "a numerous tcnantry
all contencd ana prosperous tpon his vast estates
there have hccn no evictions, no vacant farms, no
UNPAID rents These conditions are significant
because they might readily he secured on every
sad Lord Tollcmachc is an utterly hopeless figure
because there is not the slightest indication that
lis example will IKE followed by other landlords. or
that the conditions prevailing upon Ills estates VIII
lc extended elsewhere.
This illustrous philanthropist is one of the
blrcst OF blue old-school Tories. Doubtless h.
holds with johnson that the Devil was the first
Whig, and looks upon Free Trade. Home Rule
and kindred doctrines direct inventions oil
Beclzcbub. At the same time lie is So tolerant ana
liberal that he has Nj Gladstone himself for the
tenant of one of hi, London houses, and he drew
from that undoubtCd Radical NlI. Chamberlain. a
public culogy a landowner whose hnerai'Y,
whose sense and practice of justice, ana whose
consideration for both tenants and lahorcrS, were
worthy Of imitation don't know that any of
these things move the anti-rcnt propasandlSts or
save the venerable head of John TollcmaChc from
q single one Of the anaIhomos that they hurl
arainst all men who dare to own property. Prob
ably not. When once You set II down that
landlord is, per Sc. an evil, 1t does rot mend
matters tor one - be a good landlord. 1t really
agsravaeS the case like the devil putting on robes
as angel Of light.
The home of Lord Tolcmachc is Pcc6forton
Castle in Cheshire II is noble modern cdlico,
Of red sandstone. in pure Norman style. and .yas
built by lis present owner IN accordance with hiS
own ideas, some of which were decidedly pc
cular. Ore for example, was that there shoud
I've no paper. paint nor plaster in all the castle
And il was so You lind it's rooms within lined
with solid sandstone and nothing else From
the summit of the lofty castle keep, which Is
landmark visible for many miles around, YOU may
see glorious panorama of level country wood
land and farms dotted with towns and VILLAGES
In the far distance you may see here H." Cathedral
Of Chester and there the shipping in tie McrSrE
Only q mile away are the ruins # Tie castle which
The sixth Earl of Chester built on lns return irom
the Crnsadc,. six and half centuries ago BIT
the most interesting scenes lie close at hand.
Here are Lord Tollcmachc'o estates, 10000 acres
in extent. all his own, unmort rtgagcl. inherited by
him in direct line from ancestors who owned them
when Henry VII King. You may drive for
scores Of miles over roads on this domain, VIII
ont once crossing its borders or rctraclng your
way There are ftty-two farms of more than
% acres each, forty of from fifteen 70 one hun
,lred acres each. and nearly 800 cottages with
Mr.. Jesse Collings'S famous three acres and a
COW" attached To each These cottages, with
few exceptions, have been built near the home
stead OF the farm upon which the hporers Work.
The men are thus saved the wearsomc Journeys
10 and fro which add so greatly 10 the daily
drudgery Of most English famhandN. They are
able after the DAYS labor is AT an end 10 attend
to their cottage affairs before dark; they are
within call in eases of emergency. The farm
houses are mostly characterized hy picturesque
gables of black and white ana the least attractive
features of the s'oclyard are upou uniform de
sign kept out Of sight \ similar principle is
adopted with the cottages-neat. substantial little
brick buildings, with pIr>ty and cow-housc in
the rear. and a small flower garden in the front
Bat there is a more important principle than
that. Each cottaccr has three acres of land
sufficient for the maintenance of cow. one acre
mus, be- set apart for haymaking, n quarter Of an
acre goes for til,age and the remainder goes
for pasture. I'm Jew cases l1rGcr piece Of
grassland supplies paSturace in common for TWO.
thrre or more cottages. hut aS Il rule each cot
tager his his separate allotment of three acres
The advantages of his provision are manifold.
The wives and children are furnished with an
occupation agreeable in itself. Sufficiently rcmun-
erative 10 poy the rent and something more and
scrvics,hle education for tie Children. In the
quarter Of which must ~ dc ,otcd 10 tiliagc
potatoes, cabhage> tgruip> and h.t Of grain may
be- produced-pIoyendcr all the year round for man
ard beast Batter L. ma1c ctrry week generally
hy the cotiagcrs wife. and this is rccu'arlv col
lected and taken 70 market hv ,oialI dealers liv-
ing upon tie estate. these small enterprise,
IN dairying. which j. a steady If modest source
u income. also enable the people 10 keep PIGS
Many Of the cCttagers IN addition - the milk
giving COW. ap able - have 81 calf about the
premises 10 be- reared foI sale as Il hrfcr 10th
Ing ha, 70 be paid for l1hor 50 thot the system
is really one Of al profit for the cottascr T.
sum mp the position th"sr fortunate Cheshire
agricultural hborcrs for rental Of $50 year
each, have each good cottage. ample pastura2e
lot cow necessary outhouscs milk and vcgc-
'ApleS IN abundance Tor the family Il ready market
LOT the butter made by the vile and liberty 70
''ke thelr own labor tO another farm still retain
Ins 'hc COLLAGE II the tenant 10 whom he -
'o'hsiy attached cannot pay III" current rate
"' ""se'. thdef tDi, happy condition of Affairs
he''d scarcely he >aid That Il c~, Cheshire 60
n'es contribute Very little to tine incouNcu.cnt
u"e oi rural mIsratIoA which is now settiu.