Thus here would be necessarily brought together in the very first
of the work one hundred and thirty-two persons, besides the head-
farmers, who at five also to each family are one hundred more; in
all, two hundred and thirty-two.
For the necessary supply of these with provisions, clothes,
household stuff, &c. (for all should be done among themselves),
first, they must have at least four butchers with their families
(twenty persons), four shoemakers with their families and each
shoemaker two journeymen (for every trade would increase the number
of customers to every trade). This is twenty-eight persons more.
They would then require a hatmaker, a glover, at least two
ropemakers, four tailors, three weavers of woollen and three
weavers of linen, two basket-makers, two common brewers, ten or
twelve shop-keepers to furnish chandlery and grocery wares, and as
many for drapery and mercery, over and above what they could work.
This makes two-and-forty families more, each at five in a family,
which, is two hundred and ten persons; all the labouring part of
these must have at least two servants (the brewers more), which I
cast up at forty more.
Add to these two ministers, one clerk, one sexton or grave-digger,
with their families, two physicians, three apothecaries, two
surgeons (less there could not be, only that for the beginning it
might be said the physicians should be surgeons, and I take them
so); this is forty-five persons, besides servants; so that, in
short–to omit many tradesmen more who would be wanted among them–
there would necessarily and voluntarily follow to these twenty
families of farmers at least six hundred more of their own people.
It is no difficult thing to show that the ready money of 4,000
pounds which the Government was to advance to those twenty farmers
would employ and pay, and consequently subsist, all these numerous
dependants in the works which must severally be done for them for
the first year, after which the farmers would begin to receive
their own money back again; for all these tradesmen must come to
their own market to buy corn, flesh, milk, butter, cheese, bacon,
&c., which after the first year the farmers, having no rent to pay,
would have to spare sufficiently, and so take back their own money
with advantage. I need not go on to mention how, by consequence
provisions increasing and money circulating, this town should
increase in a very little time.
It was proposed also that for the encouragement of all the
handicraftsmen and labouring poor who, either as servants or as
labourers for day-work, assisted the farmers or other tradesmen,
they should have every man three acres of ground given them, with
leave to build cottages upon the same, the allotments to be upon
the waste at the end of the cross-roads where they entered the
town.
In the centre of the square was laid out a circle of twelve acres
of ground, to be cast into streets for inhabitants to build on as
their ability would permit–all that would build to have ground
gratis for twenty years, timber out of the forest, and convenient
yards, gardens, and orchards allotted to every house.
In the great streets near where they cross each other was to be
built a handsome market-house, with a town-hall for parish or
corporation business, doing justice and the like; also shambles;
and in a handsome part of the ground mentioned to be laid out for
streets, as near the centre as might be, was to be ground laid out
for the building a church, which every man should either contribute
to the building of in money, or give every tenth day of his time to
assist in labouring at the building.
I have omitted many tradesmen who would be wanted here, and would
find a good livelihood among their country-folks only to get
accidental work as day-men or labourers (of which such a town would
constantly employ many), as also poor women for assistance in
families (such as midwives, nurses, &c.).
Adjacent to the town was to be a certain quantity of common-land
for the benefit of the cottages, that the poor might have a few
sheep or cows, as their circumstances required; and this to be