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Woodborough’s Heritage

Woodborough, a Sherwood Forest Village, recorded in Domesday

Woodborough Allotments - Statement by Rev’d W E Buckland 1896

To the Parochial Electors of Woodborough

ALLOTMENT

As I am informed that it is constantly stated that Mr EDWARD ROBINSON and myself are opposed to Allotments for Working Men, I wish distinctly to contradict the statement. I am very much in favour of Allotments, and proposed the Resolution, which was carried unanimously by the Parish Council on January 6th 1895, that a Committee should be appointed to ascertain the names of applicants with other particulars, and I also voted for a resolution to obtain land by compulsion if it could not be got by voluntary agreement. But because I was in favour of proceeding with moderation and caution I was not re-elected on the Committee; and a one-sided Committee, no longer representing the whole parish, was appointed, which has grossly miss-managed the whole matter and brought forward resolutions which I could not support by my vote, though I did not vote against them.

I am convinced that if the present aggressive majority is re-elected no more land will be obtained except by compulsion; and it is most probable that the County Council will proceed with very great caution and only grant a compulsory order for a limited amount. It will then be found that compulsion will have done great harm to the cause, and it will be more difficult than ever to obtain more land. On the other hand if the electors return a majority of Moderate Men who can be trusted by owners and applicants to act with fairness, more land may be got voluntarily than by compulsion; and if that land is worked successfully there will be no difficulty in getting more afterwards.

My first effort will be to obtain land close at hand to be divided into small Allotments of roods, half-acres, and acres, which a working man can cultivate in his spare time for his home wants. But I should also be prepared to obtain land for small holdings of three or four acres on which a man would have to spend all his time for the supply of the market.

For thirteen years I had the supervision of sixty field allotments in my former parish so that I am well acquainted with the difficulties of collecting small rents to make up the rent due to the landlord, and of ensuring the proper cultivation of the whole. Yet those allotments were of very great use to working men, and my past experience has helped me to form opinions favourable to allotments, for the reasonable extension of which I am now ready to do my best.

Walter E. Buckland

March 21st 1896

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