ECONOMIC HISTORY.
Between 1066 and 1086
the Longney estate, while remaining in the possession of the same lord, declined in value from 100s. to
60s. The demesne, with 4 servi, had 2 plough-teams; (fn. 41) by 1291 it contained 3 plough-lands. (fn. 42) No
later reference to demesne farming has been found.
The demesne leased with the manor-house in 1514
amounted to 198 a., and a large pasture leased to
six other tenants was former demesne. (fn. 43)
The tenants in 1086 comprised 6 villani and 12
bordars, sharing 9 plough-teams between them. (fn. 44)
Those figures allow an average among all the
tenants of ½ plough-team each. The relatively large
tenant holdings were apparently reduced by an
increase in the number of tenants. In the 13th and
14th centuries freeholds of 1 yardland or less are
found. (fn. 45) On the Pershore Abbey estate the rent of
each acre was raised in the early 13th century, and
it may have been then that the number of the abbey's
tenants rose from four to six. Those six held 2½
yardlands between them in 1273; four of them each
held only ¼ yardland, or 9 a., (fn. 46) and it is likely that
many of the tenants of Great Malvern Priory had
equally small holdings. The 24 people assessed for
tax in 1327 in Longney, where the average assessment was higher than in most neighbouring
parishes, (fn. 47) seem to have comprised a relatively small
proportion of the landholders there.
By the early 16th century, certainly, there were
more than 50 holdings. Great Malvern Priory's
manor had, in addition to the demesne, 8 freeholders and c. 40 copyholders. Some of the copyholders had more than one holding, suggesting that
at an earlier period the land had been still further
sub-divided. Eighteen of the copyholds were called
½ yardlands, usually with common of pasture for
16 sheep, 8 beasts, and 1 horse, and 10 were described as mondaylands which characteristically had
common of pasture for 12 sheep, 6 beasts and 1
horse. (fn. 48) In 1608 there were 25 men in Longney
described as yeomen or husbandmen, and at least
another 21 men and women who are likely to have
been agricultural occupiers. (fn. 49) Most of the 50 landholders in 1732 seem to have been agricultural
occupiers, and most of them held by copyhold. (fn. 50)
Leases were being granted in the late 16th century
of land that had formerly been copyhold. (fn. 51) Copyhold
remained the most usual form of tenure until
inclosure in 1815, when there were 30 or more
copyholds averaging c. 20 a. Only one of 10 long
leases and four of 14 other leases then in being
were more than 10 a.; of 20 or more freeholds only
four were more than 20 a. and 12 were under 5 a.
Many people then held land by two or more different
kinds of tenure. (fn. 52) Copyholds continued to be
granted, apparently in decreasing numbers, up to
1906. (fn. 53)
Three open fields, Little field, Acrey, and South
field, were named in the late 13th century. (fn. 54) In the
16th century the arable land lay in fields called
Bunny Pool, North field, Little field, Acrohill,
South field, Lynch, Wood field, Longland field, and
Grassmoor. (fn. 55) In 1732 Bunny Pool, at the north end
of the parish, contained 85 a., Little field, divided
into north and south parts and lying between
Waterend and Bowlane, contained 92 a., Acrey
contained 208 a., and South field, together with the
Lynch which was clearly part of it, contained 75 a.
North field was only 20 a., and smaller fields called
New Loond, 'Between Pool and Wall', and the Lye
may represent the last three of the 16th-century
fields named above. The total area of the open fields
was 506 a., of which all but small pieces lay west of
the road through the centre of the parish. (fn. 56)
The meadow and pasture land on the east side
of the parish was extensive. In 1086 10 a. of meadow
were recorded, (fn. 57) and in 1465 an estate of 66 a. in
Longney included 10 a. of meadow and 10 a. of
pasture, apparently held in severally. (fn. 58) The two
largest areas of meadow, Smadam and Madam, with
pasture called Grangers Moor between them and
Grovend Moor to the north, (fn. 59) were common
meadows in 1613. (fn. 60) Smadam and Madam may
together have comprised Sten meadow, which was
said to be tithe-free: (fn. 61) it was claimed that no tithe
was payable on the common meadow. (fn. 62)
A gradual process of division and inclosure had
started by the beginning of the 17th century.
Already in 1514 9 a. of the 45 a. of meadow belonging to the demesne and 35 a. of the 117 a. of pasture
were held in severalty. (fn. 63) In 1604 it was said that there
were no sheep-commons in the manor, where in the
mid 16th century there had been common of
pasture for over 600 sheep, (fn. 64) and that the demesne
farm had no common for any animals as the result
of an agreement made when some open land was
inclosed. Some copyholds had commons for cows
in Grangers Moor and for yearlings in Grovend
Moor. (fn. 65) In addition to the common meadow there
were two smaller pieces of lot meadow, which in
1780 were allocated by an archaic method. (fn. 66) By the
time of inclosure in 1815 the amount of open land
had been reduced to 877 a., compared with 595 a. of
old inclosures. (fn. 67) Following an unsuccessful attempt
at parliamentary inclosure in 1779 some land had
been exchanged and converted from arable, (fn. 68) and
in the early 19th century most of the parish was in
pasture; (fn. 69) the arable land, on which wheat and beans
were grown, (fn. 70) amounted to 503 a., of which only c.
15 a. were inclosed. (fn. 71)
In 1815 there were 16 holdings of more than 20 a.,
including two of over 150 a., the Manor farm of
277 a., most of which was old inclosed land, and
Philo Maddy's of 229 a. (fn. 72) In 1831 there were 14
farmers who employed labour and 6 who did not. (fn. 73)
Twenty-three farmers were named in 1863, and
from 19 in 1870 the number declined to 12 in 1927,
when two of them farmed over 150 a. (fn. 74) Small
copyholds, 23 in all amounting to 250 a., survived
into the early 20th century. (fn. 75) There were 13 farms
in 1968. In 1901 363 a., about a quarter of the
parish, were arable, (fn. 76) and the proportion was roughly
the same in 1933 (fn. 77) and 1968. The land was then used
predominantly for dairying.
A mill belonged to the manor in 1291, (fn. 78) and in
1326 John the miller of Longney had a house in
Framilode. (fn. 79) A mill connected with Longney was
also mentioned in 1523 or 1524. (fn. 80) In none of those
instances is the type of mill indicated, and in the
absence of any suitable stream the mill may have
been a windmill and have given the name to Windmill Hill, (fn. 81) 700 yds. east of the church. (fn. 82)
In 1608 the inhabitants of Longney included 3
weavers, 2 tailors, a glover, and a cordwainer. (fn. 83)
There were incidental references to a tailor, a
cordwainer, blacksmiths, and carpenters in the 17th
and 18th centuries, (fn. 84) but village trades seem not to
have been numerous before the 19th century.
Between 1811 and 1831, while the number of
families supported by agriculture fell from 73 to 65,
the number supported by trade and industry rose
from 6 to 35. (fn. 85) In the later 19th century the nonagricultural occupations included those of bargeowner and brickmaker. (fn. 86) The brick-works were by
the river, 600 yds. west of the church. (fn. 87) The presence
of a butter-dealer reflected the emphasis on dairyfarming. There was a carpenter and wheelwright in
the village until 1870, and a blacksmith until 1914. (fn. 88)