Blincos of Hedgerley
Follow up to Martin Taylors article
Moses Blinco's two dung carts would have been an important part of the farm economy. Horse-drawn traffic in London deposited huge amounts of manure and the stables also had to be 'mucked out'. The quantity of human waste doesn't bear thinking about! Some of the 'brown gold' went down river by sailing barge to farms in Essex (a Dung Wharf on the Thames commemorates that part of the trade.)
Manure was carted to the west of London where it was a particularly valuable addition to areas of light rather sandy soil where some 10,000 acres of land was used for vegetable production.
It would be fascinating to know, if accounts survive, whether Moses and others in the trade charged for their useful service or whether they paid for the privilege of collecting the steaming loads!". (I've just watched a TV program that mentioned the 'ordure' trade!)
Jack Blencowe
Oxford