The Penny Magazine
of
the
Volume VII
Issue 378
February 24, 1838
Pages 68-71
A
Week in the Isle of Portland in 1837
(From a Correspondent)
Portland being a part of the ancient demesne lands, the quarries are held
by the sovereign as lord of the manor, and let out to proprietors under various
forms of tenure. The quarries are
about 100 in number. The crown
holds and works about a fourth; and the rest are shared between some half-dozen
proprietors, who pay a nominal rent per acre, and a real rent of 2s. Per ton for
every ton of stone raised and shipped. The
immediate management of the quarries is entrusted to stewards or agents, at
fixed salaries, averaging £70
per annum. Under them are several
‘masters’ or foremen, who take the oversight of a certain number of men, and
whose pay varies from that of a
common quarryman to £50 yearly. The
quarry itself is usually worked by a company of six men and two boys, whose pay
in all cases depends on the actual amount of stone ‘won’ and delivered to
the agent.
Before proceeding to explain the processes used
in getting the stone, it will be necessary first to describe the structure of
the crust of superficial strata of the island.
A visitor would accomplish this at once by a glance at any clean-faced
cliff in his neighbourhood, but in the absence of ocular demonstration the
following description and the cut in the next page will very clearly exhibit its
constitution.
First occurs the surface soil, 7 feet deep. Second three layers of grit, called ‘Bur-stone, Cap, and Scull-cap’ or collectively, the ‘Turf-layer’ 16 feet. Third, Roach-stone, 9 feet; which immediately covers the good Portland stone of commerce, in a compact horizontal bed of about 8 feet in depth. Beneath it follow various beds of clay, marl, flint, etc. Here then we have a superincumbent mass of earth and stone, 32 feet in depth, which must all be removed before a single foot of the good stone it covers can be procured, - a hard task, and one which is rendered still more so by the fact we have before mentioned, that till this is done the workmen are not entitled to any remuneration. In a quarry of this size, and worked by the number of hands described, the labours of three years are required to accomplish the task. First, the layers of surface-soil and rubbish are dug, and carried in strong iron-bound barrows, to be thrown over the fallow fields in the neighbourhood. Next, the ‘turf-layer’ is raised, but the obstinacy of its structure and its weight make it a work of serious labour. The strata of which it is composed sometimes present great solidity, and at other times are naturally split in large masses; in both cases they have to be reduced to small lumps, and lifted into carts. The breakage is done by driving wedges, and other similar contrivances; and the lifting by a peculiarly formed shovel, whose long handle is laid along the thigh, and the load raised by a sudden jerk, the combined action of the arm and knee, and thrown into a cart, to which seven or more horses are attached, and by whom it is carried, either to be thrown over the cliffs into the sea, or piled up in large mounds at a distance. The Roach-stone is the next stratum, and as it is unbroken in its mass, of great hardness and nine or more feet in depth, it requires of course a long struggle to accomplish its removal. After clearing the surface, the first step taken is the preparation of a blast, for splitting the Roach into blocks sufficiently small for removal. A circular hole, 4 feet 8 inches in depth by three inches in width, is then drilled in the rock; filled at the bottom to the height of 22 inches with gunpowder, tightly rammed, and connected with a train on the outside. This is then fired, and an explosion follows, which splits the stone for several yards around into perpendicular rents of about an inch across. The masses of stone between these rifts have now to be removed, and as some of them weigh upwards of fifty tons, an amount of power would seem to be required, far beyond the compass of half a dozen quarrymen, and the scanty mechanical means at their disposal. The only instruments used are rollers of various sizes, and strong double-handed jacks; months are consequently consumed in the slow-paced operation. Three of the jacks are placed against the mass, and then follows what may perhaps be justly deemed the severest struggle in which human bones and muscles were ever engaged. More than one hundred thousand pounds of stone have to be moved a hundred yards and more over heaps of loose stones, by half a dozen men! The jacks being fixed in the most advantageous positions, the men commence to heave round the winches; and then the shrill cry is heard of 'high, boys, high,' repeated with great rapidity. Meanwhile the winches of the jacks, turned against so prodigious an amount of resistance, make a progress as slow as the minute hand of a watch. It is sufficient, however, if they do really turn at all, for it is by the smallest possible degrees the removal is at length accomplished and the pit cleared for the production of the best stone. The exhaustion which these labours occasion is evidenced by the frequent periods of rest, and in the constant use of the water-keg., from which they drink copiously. One of the men, when I asked him if the work was hard, said, 'Ah Sir, we are obliged to heave our hearts out, and all in the sun too!' They do not, however, appear to suffer any permanent damage by their labours, and but little abatement of strength, even in extreme old age. A night's rest cures all. One old fellow upwards of seventy years of age, who was doing the work of the strongest, told me, that through that long period he had never known sickness. The secret of this is to be found in pure air, free exposure to all weathers, and a certain quiet of mind.
When a quarry has been cleared of its rubbish,
and the flooring of good Portland stone brought fairly into view, the real
business of a quarryman - that by which he would choose to be known - commences.
All his preliminary labours have required little beyond the exercise of
mere strength, but now judgment and ingenuity are called for in the selection
and preparation of the rude lumps of stone for architectural purposes; and the labourer
becomes an artisan. The
cleared bed of pure stone is found to be split in numerous directions by what
are called 'gullies', and these of course divide it into masses, varying in
size according to the width of the gullies.
In this way blocks of every imaginable size and form are procured; and
when they have been wedged out, a council is held by the men, and it is
discussed whether this one would make a pier-stone for a bridge; another, a
shaft for a column; a third, a baluster for a parapet, and so on.
These important uses determined, the masses are severally dragged to
convenient spots, and reduced to square or appropriate forms by the action of a
double-headed iron picker, called a 'kivel',
and weighing twenty-five pounds. The
only business remaining previous to the delivery of the stones to the wharf, is
to ascertain their weight, and to mark it on them.
The former is computed by measure, 16 square feet being estimated to
weigh a ton; and the latter by cutting the amount in certain hieroglyphic
characters. A monogram of the
proprietor's name is also added.
The measuring rod used for the above purpose was covered with odd
symbols, of which I could make nothing.
When the stone is ready for delivery, it is
lifted on a stage-like cart, with solid wooden wheels, exactly resembling the
waggon of the ancients and the Moorish bullcart of Spain at this day.
To this is yoked seven horses; and in the case of the western quarries it
is then taken to a railway station at the top of Fortune's Well hill, and entrusted to the care of a company,
who send it round the hills, by inclined planes, to a wharf at the foot of the
Chesil Bank, a mile and a half distance, and for which they are authorised to
charge 8d. Per ton for stone of the best, and 4d for roach and other kinds of
inferior quality.
We have mentioned that quarrymen are paid only for the stone actually delivered from the quarry Ten shillings a ton is fixed by common consent as the average price, and this is supposed to include the value of all the preliminary labour. The money thus earned is placed to his credit, and at the end of six months an account is made out, and a balance determined, which is often against the workman; the labour of 'winning' the stone occupying a period of three years; and the men receiving nothing in the interval, the agents meet the destitution which would otherwise be suffered by opening Chandler's Stores, and letting the workmen have all the larger necessities of life on account of their prospective gains, the average amount earned by a workman, if he were constantly employed, would be 12s per week, but this average is much reduced by various casualties. Thus, if it rain before nine o'clock in the morning, he is not allowed to work that day; if the wind be high, the dust of the pit drives him from his labours; should the markets be dull, his week is reduced to four days; if a burial take place, he is obliged, on the tolling of the church-bell, which commences at noon, to leave work for the rest of the day; and should the deceased happen to be a stranger, he is even compelled, by immemorial usage, to attend and assist the obsequies. Added to this is the time lost by accidents, which in so perilous a trade are frequent; and the cost of tools also, which are found by himself. These drawbacks combine to reduce the weekly wages to an average of 9s. or 10s. but even that small pittance is frequently reduced to 7s.
The earnings of a quarryman being so small, and
his family very commonly large, it may be worthy of inquiry how they are
supported; and as they are both well fed and well clothed, and have never
resorted to 'parish
allowance'
except in some few cases of extreme age and decrepitude, the subject becomes one
of the deepest interest. The
resources of a Portland family are the following: -
1. An acre of land, used
either for raising corn, potatoes, or the general products of garden.
For this 20s. rent and 10s. tithe and poor-rate are paid, and 30s. is
supposed to be the cost of seed and miscellaneous expenses.
The corn and potato grounds are mostly on the top of the island, and the
gardens on the declivities. On
these little plots the men spend their leisure evenings and holidays in a
diligent cultivation of the best vegetable products.
In this way flour for the puddings, potatoes for the winter store, and,
notwithstanding the sterility of the soil, a good supply of small fruits and
esculent vegetables, are produced. Gooseberries,
sheltered by walls from the sea-breeze, bear abundantly in the season.
Gooseberry-cakes of the size and form of Cheshire cheeses, may be seen
drying in the sun (before baking) at many of the cottage windows.
2. A cow is often
procured by the savings of the thrifty house-wives; the grazing costs nothing,
the Vern-hill serving as meadow land for the common use of the island.
Milk is consequently cheap and abundant; and home-made cheeses are found
on most tables.
3. Fowls are numerously
reared, and add the luxury of eggs to bacon.
4. On the Southern Downs the
common mushroom grows in great abundance, and to an enormous size.
I measured some a foot in diameter.
These are carefully gathered, and entered largely into seasoning of a
Portland feast.
5. Water-cresses are found
sparingly in moist spots, but are gleaned with diligence, and provide a relish
for the breakfast.
6. On all the
fallow-fields (and these are numerous, crops being raised only in alternate
years) the Cuckoo-pint (Arum Maculatum) grows in unparalleled abundance, and the
field is then called a 'starch-moor;'
the roots are gathered by the women, the farinaceous matter is extracted, and a
fine supply of British arrowroot secured. Much
of it is sold in Weymouth, and the produce brought home in clothing.
The Society of Arts, by judicious gifts, formerly gave great
encouragement to this manufacture in Portland.
7. Harvest-work is
exclusively performed by women; and as none but Portlanders are employed, a
comfortable purse is thus secured by many families for winter purposes.
8. Fish of every sort
abounds, and is sold at low prices fresh from the sea.
The village of Chiswell is wholly employed in the conduct of the
fisheries. This is, of course, a
very capital circumstance in the economic history of Portland; and as Weymouth
takes all the surplus produce, an additional advantage is derived in the many
occasional shillings which the young women of the island earn by its carriage
thither.
9. Shepherd's work on the plains is performed by the younger boys,
who are paid in food and clothing.
10. Fuel costs nothing; the
island is destitute both of coal and wood, and as a substitute dried cow-dung is
used. The females are employed all
the early part of summer mornings in collecting and drying it, and in stacking
up a reserve for winter consumption. It
burns with a low clear flame and emits much heat, but to a stranger has a
slightly unpleasant smell.
Thus the Portlander and his busy family, by an
industrious and prudent use of the scanty favours of the comparatively barren
rock on which they spend their days, contrive to support themselves in a degree
of comfort rarely equalled by the poor of their own or any other country.
The frugality and perseverance exhibited in
these pursuits would naturally lead us to infer the existence along with them of
a high tone of moral feeling.
1. They have no place of confinement in the island and stocks, whipping posts, or any analogous instruments or modes of punishment are totally unknown. 2. The magistracy is sinecure, a committal not taking place once in fifty years. 'In shart', said an islander whom we questioned, 'an accident might happen in that length, but then it would be a chance'. 3. No persons are allowed to live together in an unmarried state. 4. The Sabbath is strictly observed with uniform propriety. The degree of sanctity with which it is regarded may be estimated by the fact that I heard it related as a tale of wonder that in London boys were actually allowed to play marbles on Sunday. 5. The strongest oath and the common expletive is, 'on the word of a Portland man'. These facts, in connection with various others of a similar but minor character, present an amount of public virtue as admirable as we believe it to be unparalleled in the British Islands. We were happy but not surprised, in learning that this desirable state of things is clearly traceable to the influence of Bible principles, a circumstance which we shall not stay here to prove, beyond stating that in the Wesleyan chapel at Fortune's Well, out of a congregation of 600 persons, there are 170 approved communicants.
The Portland quarrymen constitute about 500 of the population, and are evidently a distinct and well-defined race. They are nobly formed, and come very nearly to the finest antique models of strength and beauty. In height they vary from 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet. Large bones, well knit and strongly-compacted muscles, confirmed in their united energies by the hardest labour, in a pure atmosphere, give them a power so Herculean, that three cwts is lifted by men of ordinary strength with ease. Their features are regularly and boldly developed; eyes black, but deprived of their due expression by the partial closure of the lids, caused by the glare of the stone; complexion a bright ruddy orange; the hair dark and plentiful, and the general expression of the countenance mild and intelligent. Their usual summer costume on working days is a slouched straw hat covered with canvass and painted black, a shirt with narrow blue stripes, and white canvass trousers. On Sundays they add to these a sailor's short blue jacket, and look very like good-natured tars in their holiday trim. Having spent some time in inspecting the quarries, we may now proceed to other parts of the island.
On reaching Blacknor Point, the road should be
again taken on the edge of the cliffs. Inland
nothing is to be seen but barren downs, dotted here and there with scanty flocks
of Portland sheep. These are elegant creatures; smallest of limbs, delicacy of
features, and a certain look of good natured intelligence distinguish them.
The mutton is highly esteemed in the neighbourhood.
Turning from the downs, the sight is perpetually relieved by the cliff
scenery. Black and hideous caverns,
'long lashed by rude winds'
- rocks varying from one to three hundred feet in height, severed by convulsions
from the body of the island, stand nodding to their fall - chasms of great
depth, running inwards to distances beyond the examination of the most curious
intercept the path, and constitute, by the rapidity of their succession and
strangeness of their forms and combinations, a series of magnificent pictures.
The first mile of the walk will be amusingly diversified by the
black-backed gull (Larus marinus) and the herring-gull (Larus
argenteus), who
build in the cliffs, and rise in vast numbers on the approach of a stranger,
uttering a succession of sounds so like those of hearty laughter, that I
repeatedly fancied myself the subject of human merriment.
Occasionally also, in retired bays, various species of auks and puffins
may be observed in small parties, swimming and diving in apparently the most
harmonious rivalry. A walk of a
mile terminates in a series of land-slips, in the midst of which several
workings for the dislocated stone are established, approached by pathways so
steep and narrow that the foot of a chamois would seem to be required for their
safe passage. In these places the
blocks of stone are tossed over to the beach, and lifted on board small vessels
during calm weather. Proceeding
onwards, the upper and lower lighthouses come into view.
These are well-built structures, admirably ventilated, and furnished with
numerous stationary burners of intense brilliancy.
Each of these establishments is surrounded with two or three neat
dwellings, for the residence of the families and servants of the respective
keepers. These abodes must be very
monotonous; - six months out of the twelve the winds are so high, the wife of
one of the keepers told me, that 'womenkind
and such-like'
could not dare to go abroad. From
the lanterns a fine view is obtained of the Portland Race.
The lighthouses were built to warn mariners of
the dangerous neighbourhood as well as to indicate the position of Portland Bill
which juts into the sea immediately beyond them. Proceeding forwards, the 'Holes',
'Jack Russell's',
'Window' and 'Large
Hole Point', successively claim attention.
These are caverns worn by the waves in the face of the bare cliff.
Many legendary tales of starving mariners and sea-born sprites are
connected with these caverns. What
the guides regard as the very lion of the island is nothing more than a cavern
of unusual dimensions. In stormy
weather the sea rushes violently into this cave, fills it, and finding an
aperture at the upper end, rises for a moment in a columnar form, then sinks
into the abyss beneath, to be again and again tossed upwards.