Stuart Britain - Agriculture Flashcards
Changes in Agricultural Techniques - Enclosure
Consolidation of scattered holdings into blocks of land - avoids unnecessary duplication of crop production - anger between small landowners who lost access to land, v larger landlords
However, not necessary for increased efficency - enclosure limited in Oxfordshire but still successful agric innovation
More intensive breeding of sheep kept together = more wool
Changes in Agricultural Techniques - Crop Rotation and Fodder
Traditionally, 1/3 land left fallow to regain nutrients - but inefficent
‘Norfold’ crop rotation of turnips, barley clover and wheat ensures higher quality of soil as well
Manure - fodder crops like turnips, and nitrogen rich crops promoted by Dutch immigrants like Hartlib, used to feed animals and regenerate soil
Larger no of animals kept to higher crop yields when manure used - also some crops for industry ie flax for linen, hops for beer
Changes in Agricultural Techniques - Use of Land
Vermuyden commissioned to drain Fens of East Anglia after being knighted for similar work in Lincolnshire - use of previously unused land
1420 7m arable farming, 3m fallow
1700 - 9m acres arable, 1.8m fallow
Changes in Agricultural Techniques - Water Meadows
Diversion of water from rivers into fields to keep soil always damp and reduce chances of frost in early spring - allowed for more crops of hay to be growin in a year
Allowed for large increases in animals kept - 1600 300,000, 1700 630,000 and still 130,000 oxen
Changes in Agricultural Techniques - Knowledge
Weston - 1645 ‘Discourse on Husbandrie used in Brabant and Flanders’ - promoted Dutch innovations in farming
Blith - 1649 ‘The Eng Improver’ promoting water meadows and manure
Royal Society ‘georgical committee’ 1664 - surveys lead to greater use of potato in rotation in Lancashire
Worlidge 1669 ‘systema Agriculturae’ - use of seed drill
Houghton 1681 ‘A collection of Letters for Improvement of Husbandry and Trade’
Agricultural Specialisation
SE - warmer and drier so more suited to arable
NW - rugged/hilly so more suited to livestock
Light soil regions - ie Norfolk and Suffolk well suited to fodder crops so developed mixed sheep corn husbandry
Heavy soil regions ie Northamptonshire - switch from grain to pasture farming
Hop Growing in Kent and Sussex, and increased cash crops for cloth
Development of national markets
Merchants source stock from diff areas to bring to market where demand was high
Road system improved - Turnpike Act 1663 - new toll roads by businessment to pay for upkeep and link major market towns, Stage Coahc from 1657, Ogilby’s road atlas 1675 7500 miles of road
Water transport - Newcastle to London, dredging/widening of rivers, Severn, Ouse, Thames all used
Agriculture in London
Gaurunteed market = farmers more insentivised to produce more Shipments of grain to City via Thames - 500,000 quarters 1605 to 1.15m 1661
Market Gardeners from Oxfordshire to Whitechapel use river to transport their fresh fruit to the capital
Agriculture in Scotland and Ireland
Transport inadequate, Westminster gov did little to improve
Ireland had few towns large enough for market system
Difficult to establish infrastructure in Scottish highlands - BUT growing markets in Edinburgh etc.
Development of International Markets
2000 quarters pa 1660s to 300,000 pa 1675-7
Increased agricultural investment
Individual gentlemen invest profits or borrow from family/friends - growing demand so need to increase productivity, and then decreasing demand so need to outdo competition
Structure of Society - Rise of Large Farms
Later 17C - only larger landlords could afford to invest in improvements to outcompete with falling prices - so higher gentry earned greater profits and bought up land from smaller farms to enclose - Proportion of land in S Midlands in estates > 100 acres 32.2% 1600 to 53.6% 1700 - 2 to 3 tiered society
Landlords also invested in specialisation and road improvements
Structure of Society - Growth of Employment
Growth of seasonal work - in large cloth county of Gloucestershire 1/2 of pop engaged at some times in work besides agriculture
Growth of larger farms so growing landless labourer class - 1688 364,000 families of labourers
More efficient use of workforce - 1450 avg no of days worked per agric family 266, 1700 405
Structure of Society - Rising Standard of Living
Stagnation in pop reduced labour pool - greater competition between employers for labourers increasing wages - combination of farm and cloth work - 240,000 in skilled crafts 240,000 (domestic system)
Settlement Act 1662 - easier for landowners to hire labourers from other parishes then let them go so they didn’t have to pay Poor Rates
Structure of Society - Worsening Situation for Some
Small tenant farmers suffered due to enclosure - only farm owners who could increase efficiency were able to succeed instead of being squeezed out
