The parish of Selborne, by taking in so much of the forest, is a vast district. Those who tread the bounds are employed part of three days in the business, and are of opinion that the outline, in all its curves and indentings, does not comprise less than thirty miles.
The village stands in a sheltered spot, secured by the Hanger from the strong westerly winds. The air is soft, but rather moist from the effluvia of so many trees; yet perfectly healthy and free from agues.
The quantity of rain that falls on it is very considerable, as may be supposed in so woody and mountainous a district. As my experience in measuring the water is but of short date, I am not qualified to give the mean quantity.*(*A very intelligent gentleman assures me (and he speaks from upwards of forty years' experience) that the mean rain of any plate cannot be ascertained till a person has measured it for a very long period. 'If I had only measured the rain,' says he, 'for the four first years from 1740 to 1743, I should have said the mean rain at Lyndon was 16 and a half inches for the year, if from 1740 to 1750, 18 and a half inches. The mean rain before 1763 was 20 and a quarter, from 1763 and since, 25 and a half; from 1770 to 1780, 26.
If only 1773, 1774 and 1775 had been measured, Lyndon mean rain would have been called 32 inches.')I only know that:
From May 1, 1779, the end of the year, there fell 28 Inch. 37!
Hund.
From Jan. 1, 1780, to Jan. 1, 1781, there fell 27 32From Jan. 1, 1781, to Jan. 1, 1782, there fell 30 71From Jan. 1, 1782, to Jan. 1, 1783, there fell 50 26!
From Jan. 1, 1783, to Jan. 1, 1784, there fell 33 71From Jan. 1, 1784, to Jan. 1, 1785, there fell 33 80From Jan. 1, 1785, to Jan. 1, 1786, there fell 31 55From Jan. 1, 1786, to Jan. 1, 1787, there fell 39 57The village of Selborne, and large hamlet of Oak-hanger, with the single farms, and many scattered houses along the verge of the forest, contain upwards of six hundred and seventy inhabitants.*We abound with poor; many of whom are sober and industrious, and live comfortably in good stone or brick cottages, which are glazed, and have chambers above stairs: mud buildings we have none. Besides the employment from husbandry the men work in hop gardens, of which we have many; and fell and bark timber. In the spring and summer the women weed the corn; and enjoy a second harvest in September by hop-picking. Formerly, in the dead months they availed themselves greatly by spinning wool, for making of barragons, a genteel corded stuff, much in vogue at that time for summer wear; and chiefly manufactured at Alton, a neighbouring town, by some of the people called Quakers: but from circumstances this trade is at an end.** The inhabitants enjoy a good share of health and longevity: and the parish swarms with children.
(* A state of the parish of Selborne, taken October 4, 1783.
The number of tenements or families, 136.
The number of inhabitants in the street is ... 313In the rest of the parish ... 363
Total, 676; near five inhabitants to each tenement.
In the time of the Rev. Gilbert White, vicar, who died in 1727-8, the number of inhabitants was computed at about 500.)(** Since the passage above was written, I am happy in being able to say that the spinning employment is a little revived, to the no small comfort of the industrious housewife.)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average of baptisms for 60 years.
From 1720 to 1729, both years inclusive Males 6,9 Females 6,0 12,9From 1730 to 1739, both years inclusive Males 8,2 Females 7,1 15,3From 1740 to 1749, inclusive Males 9,2 Females 6,6 15,8From 1750 to 1759, inclusive Males 7,6 Females 8,1 15,7From 1760 to 1769, inclusive Males 9,1 Females 8,9 18,0From 1770 to 1779, inclusive Males 10,5 Females 9,8 203
Total baptisms of Males 515
Females 465 980
Total of baptisms from 1720 to 1779, both inclusive, 60 years 980.
Average of burials for 60 years.
From 1720 to 1729, both years inclusive Males 4,8 Females 5,1 9,9From 1730 to 1739, both years inclusive Males 4,8 Females 5,8 10,6From 1740 to 1749, inclusive Males 4,6 Females 3,8 8,4From 1750 to 1759, inclusive Males 4,9 Females 5,1 10,0From 1760 to 1769, inclusive Males 6,9 Females 6,5 13,4From 1770 to 1779, inclusive Males 5,5 Females 6,2 11,7Total of burials of Males 315
Females 325 640
Total of burials from 1720 to 1779 both inclusive, 60 years 640.
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Baptisms exceed burials by more them one-third.
Baptisms of Males exceed Females by one-tenth, or one in ten.
Burials of Females exceed Males by one m thirty.
It appears that a child, born Ed bred m this parish, has Em equal chance to live above forty years.
Twins thirteen times, many of whom dying young have lessened the chance for life.
Chances for life in men and women appear to be equal.
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A TABLE of the Baptisms, Burials, and Marriages, from January 2, 1761, to December 25, 1780, in the Parish of Selborne.
Baptisms.
1761 Males 8 Females 10 Total 181762 7 8 15
1763 8 10 18
1764 11 9 20
1765 12 6 18
1766 9 13 22
1767 14 5 19
1768 7 6 13
1769 9 14 23
1770 10 13 23
1771 10 6 16
1772 11 10 21
1773 8 5 13
1774 6 13 19
1775 20 7 27
1776 11 10 21
1777 8 13 21
1778 7 13 20
1779 14 8 22
1780 8 9 17
198 188 386
Burials.
1761 Males 2 Females 4 Total 61762 1010 20
1763 3 4 7
1764 10 8 18
1765 9 7 16
1766 10 6 16
1767 6 5 11
1768 2 5 7
1769 6 5 11
1770 4 7 11
1771 3 4 7
1772 6 10 16
1773 7 5 12
1774 2 8 10
1775 13 8 21
1776 4 6 10
1777 7 2 9
1778 3 9 12
1779 5 6 11
1780 11 4 15
123 123 246
Marriages.
1761 3
1762 6
1763 7
1764 6
1765 6
1766 4
1767 2
1768 6
1769 2
1770 3
1771 4
1772 3
1773 3
1774 1
1775 6
1776 6
1777 4
1778 5
1779 0
1780 3
83
During this period of twenty years the births of Males exceeded those of Females 10.
The burials of each sex were equal.
And the births exceeded the deaths 140.
Letter VI
