Like millions of others I am restricting my travel until the current nonsense is over which means of course, I am busier than ever. Yet the change in my habits has made me think that for a short while at least, we will slowly be returning to a more rural type of life, locally.
If I go back to lets say, 1890 then although we had trains here in Hungerford (and even in Marlborough and some of the many local villages), we did not bomb around like Road Runner and his pals. It was obviously a more rural economy around Hungerford and photographs from the era confirm this.
But what I did not know until about a year ago was that our lovely little town had a connection with Jethro Tull (no, not the rock band).
It seems that Jethro lived only a few miles from Hungerford at Prosperous Farm near Shalbourne and although I have never visited the farm which was rebuilt in the 19th Century, it is quite easy to find.
Basically, it is a matter of following the sign posts as you leave Hungerford on the A338 towards Salisbury. You should look out for the turn off towards Ham (of Bloomsbury Group fame) and Shalbourne and follow the road. Just before you reach Ham, you will see an aged sign post which directs you towards Prosperous Farm.
As I noted, I have yet to visit Jethro’s farm so I cannot say what is left, but you will be walking along the same lanes as Jethro knew in an area which seduces your senses.
Jethro, who I think is a little forgotten, perfected the horse drawn seed drill in 1700 which in turn helped to bring forward the British Agricultural Revolution. But his improvements were not popular with everyone as the labourers of the field felt threatened because their rural skills were fast being made redundant.
The Swing Riots in Hungerford and elsewhere in 1830 can indirectly be linked to Jethro’s improvements because as agricultural techniques improved, then the lot of the labourer became worse and there was extreme rural poverty.
There is a great deal of information on the internet about Jethro and the British Agricultural Revolution as well as the Swing Riots so I will not try to nutshell them here, although it is a very interesting subject.
Jethro died at Prosperous Farm on the 21st of February 1741 and is buried in Lower Basildon (near Pangbourne) and as I noted, is almost forgotten except by students of the subject.
I had heard of Jethro through my school but was not aware of his connections to Hungerford.
Although at present we cannot move around that easily due to restrictions and the like, it will not be long before some sanity is restored and you can, if you are in the area, visit Hungerford and the beautiful countryside that surrounds the town. When you do so, then it would be fun to walk in the footsteps of Jethro at Prosperous Farm and the Bloomsbury’s at Ham Spray (which is very near the village of Ham).
These are somewhat difficult times, but they will pass, and here in Hungerford I have noted a community spirit which I believe will be replicated all over the country.
As I noted, I have yet to visit Jethro’s farm so I cannot say what is left, but you will be walking along the same lanes as Jethro knew in an area which seduces your senses.