Notice for Spalding dated 30th August1792.
Notice to Growers of and Dealers in Hemp
Whereas at a very large and respectable meeting of the dealers of hemp, held (pursuant to advertisement in the Stamford paper) at the White Hart Inn, in Spalding in the County of Lincoln on the 28th Day of June last it was resolved that it hath , for many years past, been the practice of many growers to tie up their sample of hemp with large bands made of shorts, or hemp of very inferior quality to the Commodity sold, to the great injury of the buyer.
Therefor for remedy and redress of such grievance, an agreement hath been prepared, and executed by the several persons whose names are hereunder mentioned, Principal Dealers in Hemp; whereby they have bound themselves in a large penalty not to buy any hemp in the town of Spalding aforesaid, or in any other town, parish or place within thirty miles thereof, after the said meeting, but what shall be tied up with bands of equal length, quality to the rest of the hemp. And also that prosecutions shall be commenced against such persons as shall sell any hemp not broke, and properly prepared for market agreeable to the Act of Parliament in such case.”
The purpose for this was simple was that as a maritime nation the country relied upon a plentiful supply of good quality rope made from hemp and the quality had been diminishing. Therefore the Admiralty lobbied for standards of hemp to be enforced resulting in its regionally regulated sale under pain of penalty for sub-standard product.
Nowadays hemp has another use and I feel the smell of cannabis became more prevalent in Spalding and the surrounding area from the late 1990’s onwards. Of course, hemp has long been used as ground bait by recreational fisherman in the rivers and drains around Spalding. This has often resulted in hemp growing on local drain sides, which in the past had little narcotic strength, but I am assured the strength has increased in warmer weather as fisherman fill their empty lunch boxes with hemp leaves.
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