ECONOMIC HISTORY.
Very little early evidence
about husbandry at Blaisdon has been found. In
1220 4 plough-teams were recorded there. (fn. 8) In 1301
Ralph of Abenhall's moiety of the manor included
a carucate (containing 60 a. of arable), 2 a. of
meadow, and 58s. 1½ d. rent; (fn. 9) in 1348, however, the
two divisions of the Abenhall family's estate were
said to include 2 carucates, with 5 a. of meadow,
60 a. of wood, and £6 6s. rent. (fn. 10) An undated 17thcentury rental of the Ayleways' estate enumerated 8
freeholds, 14 leaseholds, 4 copyholds, and one
tenement held at will; the freeholders were said to
owe heriots, and some of the leaseholders and copyholders owed rents of hens or capons. (fn. 11) In 1656
Samuel Sheppard leased a tenement for 99 years or
two lives with heriot payable. (fn. 12)
Three open fields were recorded in the parish in
1572: Wall field, Nether field adjoining Beech brook,
and Down field (fn. 13) lying south of Nottswood Hill. (fn. 14)
Pan field was mentioned in 1654 and still contained
some uninclosed land in 1811. (fn. 15) In 1839 a few acres
of uninclosed arable remained in Down field, Stoney
Dole field - which lay between the village and
Beech brook and was presumably the former Nether
field - Stanley Hill north-west of Stanley, and
Neach field in what was later to become the park of
Blaisdon Hall. (fn. 16)
The parish was said to consist mostly of pasture
and woodland in the early 18th century, (fn. 17) but at the
end of the century, of arable, pasture, and wood in
equal parts; (fn. 18) in 1839 there were 240 a. of arable,
360 a. of pasture, and 276 a. of wood. (fn. 19) In 1801
wheat was the main crop, being grown with smaller
acreages of oats, barley, beans, peas, potatoes, and
turnips. (fn. 20) The main farms in 1839 were Velthouse
and Spout farms held together with 230 a., Stanley
farm with 102 a., and Brickhouse farm with 76 a. (fn. 21)
Six farms were recorded in 1856 (fn. 22) and three farms
and a market garden in 1939. (fn. 23) In 1969 there were
three farms based in the parish and a number of
small-holdings which were worked on a part-time
basis. The land was mainly used to support dairy
cows, but some sheep were kept on Nottswood Hill
and the Salesians kept a flock in the park at Blaisdon
Hall. Newhouse farm (later called Stud farm) was
used by Peter Stubs for breeding shire horses, and
the stud, which produced a number of champion
horses notably 'Blaisdon Conqueror', was carried on
until the 1920s by Colin MacIver. (fn. 24) Cider-making
was recorded at Blaisdon from the late 16th century; (fn. 25) in the late 18th century the parish was said
to contain many fruitful orchards (fn. 26) and there were
several commercial fruit-growers in 1969. The parish
has given its name to a plum, the Blaisdon Red,
which was developed by John Dowding of Tanhouse
Farm (d. 1896). (fn. 27)
The water-mill recorded on the Abenhall's estate
in the early 14th century (fn. 28) was perhaps at Blaisdon
Mill on the Longhope brook at the south end of the
village; there was certainly a mill there by 1652. (fn. 29)
Blaisdon Mill, which was owned by the Gordons in
the earlier 19th century, was driving two pairs of
stones in 1864. (fn. 30) It apparently ceased working in the
late 1880s. (fn. 31) The stone mill building, distinguished
by its weather-boarded hatch, survived in 1969
adjoining the miller's brick house.
The only non-agricultural workers recorded in
the parish in 1608 were a shoemaker, a butcher, and
a sailor. (fn. 32) There was a smithy in the village in 1699 (fn. 33)
and the village had a blacksmith during the 19th
century and until the 1930s. (fn. 34) In 1879 the smithy
was at the road junction at the north end of the
village, (fn. 35) but later it was at a cottage on the east
side of the main street. (fn. 36) There were two carpenters
at Blaisdon c. 1818 (fn. 37) and the parish had one until
the early 20th century. (fn. 38) A cooper was recorded in
1856 (fn. 39) and a wheelwright in 1863. (fn. 40) A woodcutter
was mentioned in 1833 (fn. 41) and in 1849 a timber-dealer
lived at the Mount in Nottswood. (fn. 42) Several shoemakers were working in the parish in the early 19th
century. (fn. 43) A tannery recorded there in 1787 (fn. 44) was
presumably at Tanhouse Farm which was known by
that name by 1811. (fn. 45) Masons lived in the parish in
1827 and 1840. There were two butchers in 1818
and a shopkeeper in 1824. (fn. 46) In 1831 20 families
were supported by agriculture and 5 by trade. (fn. 47) In
1969 most people worked in Gloucester. (fn. 48)