The answer is in the allotment movement and the work of the Great Somerford Rector, Stephen Demainbray, in providing allotments in 1809 after the local Enclosure Act had removed rights of common from poor villagers. Jeremy will speak on this and the spread of the allotment movement.

The provision of allotments as a way of improving the lot of the poor was to become a driving force in Demainbray’s long life, although the pioneer in the local area was Thomas Estcourt of Shipton Moyne. As a condition of commuting the landowners’ tithes the Rector requested that several acres should be retained for the benefit of the poor. Under the Act the land was to be kept in perpetuity for ‘the poor cottagers, Parishioners of and residing in the parish of Great Somerford, otherwise Broad Somerford’. 

 
 Detail of the Enclosure Award map for Great Somerford showing the glebe land used for the allotments.
                         
The allotments were to be allocated annually with regard to the number of people in each family and they were to be free of all rents and taxes. This is still the case today and the oldest allotments in the country are allocated to villagers on the Tuesday of Easter week, as they have been for 200 years. Read on to find out more.....

The Rev. Demainbray lived to the age of 95 and was Rector of Great Somerford for 55 years treating all men equally and showing great concern for his poorer parishioners. He was chaplain to four monarchs, at one time was Superintendent of the Royal Observatory, and  in 1831 published 'The Poor Man's Best Friend' that set out his experiences in the early years of allotments. You can read about this remarkable man in 'The  Poor Man's Best Friend: the story of the Great Somerford Allotments1809-2009' by Jill Shearer (The Somerford Press, 2009, £4.50).

Stephen Demainbray was buried at Great Somerford in July 1854; his wife died just three months later. A marble plaque in the church records this great village benefactor.


Some colourful images of the allotments in full production of fruit, flowers and vegetables in 2008.

 'Why was Wilthire First ' was also the title of a talk by Dr Jeremy Burchardt at the History Centre (Wednesday 16^th September at 7.30 p.m. – Tel. 01249 705500 for tickets; £3.50 – concessions £2.50)).