It was land without an owner; no
one claimed any manorial right over it; they could build
cottages without paying rent. It was a district recognized by
no parish; so there were no tithes, and no meddlesome
supervision. It abounded in fuel which cost nothing, for
though the veins were not worth working as a source of mining
profit, the soil of Wodgate was similar in its superficial
character to that of the country around. So a population
gathered, and rapidly increased, in the ugliest spot in
England, to which neither Nature nor art had contributed a
single charm; where a tree could not be seen, a flower was
unknown, where there was neither belfry nor steeple, nor a
single sight or sound that could soften the heart or humanise
the mind.
Whatever may have been the cause, whether, as not unlikely,
the original squatters brought with them some traditionary
skill, or whether their isolated and unchequered existence
concentrated their energies on their craft, the fact is
certain, that the inhabitants of Wodgate early acquired a
celebrity as skilful workmen. This reputation so much
increased, and in time spread so far, that for more than a
quarter of a century, both in their skill and the economy of
their labour, they have been unmatched throughout the country.
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