British Agricultural Revolution
From Freepedia
The British agricultural revolution is the name ascribed to a series of developments in agricultural practices in Britain somewhere between the Middle Ages and the mid-19th century which resulted in a massive increase in productivity and agricultural output. At its most basic, the agricultural revolution consisted of four key changes in practice: Enclosure, Mechanization, Four Field Crop Rotation, and Selective Breeding.
Contents |
Enclosure
Prior to the 18th century, agriculture was much the same across Europe, and had been since before the Middle Ages. The system in operation was essentially post-feudal, with each villager subsistence farming their own strips of land in one of three large open fields.
From as early as the 12th century, some open fields in Britain were being enclosed into individually owned fields, with the process taking off rapidly in the 15th and century centuries as sheep farming grew more profitable. This led to villagers losing their land and grazing rights, and left many unemployed. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the practice of enclosure was denounced by the Church, and legislation was drawn up against it, but the developments in agriculture during the 18th century required large, enclosed fields in order to be workable. This led to a series of government acts, culminating finally in the General Inclosure Act of 1801.
While the villagers received compensation for their strips, it was minimal, and the loss of rights for the rural populous led to an increased dependency on the Poor law. Only a few found work in the (increasingly mechanised) enclosed farms. Most were forced to relocate to the cities and find work in the emerging factories, opening the way for the Industrial Revolution.
By the end of the 19th century the process of enclosure was largely complete.
Mechanization
Jethro Tull made the first advancements in agricultural technology with his seed drill (1701) - a mechanical seeder which distributed seeds efficiently across a plot of land.
Joseph Foljambe's Rotherham plough (1730), while not the first iron plough, was the first iron plough to have any commercial success, combining a number of technological innovations in its design, and being lighter than traditional ploughs. It remained in use in Britain until the development of the tractor.
Andrew Meikle's threshing machine of 1786 was the final straw for many farm labourers, and led to the 1830 agricultural rebellion of Captain Swing (a mythical character comparable to the Luddite's Ned Ludd).
Increasing mechanisation improved farming efficiency and reduced costs, not least by making many workers redundant.
Four-Field Crop Rotation
During the Middle Ages, the open field system had employed a three year crop rotation, with a different crop in
Selective Breeding
In England, Robert Bakewell and Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester of Holkham introduced selective breeding (mating together two animals with particularly desirable characteristics), and inbreeding to reduce genetic diversity in desirable animals programs from the mid 18th century as methods for producing bigger and more profitable livestock.
Effects on History
The Agricultural Revolution in Britain proved to be a very large turning point in history. It lead to the Industrial Revolution. With the increased production in food, and the development of a smallpox vaccine in 1796 by Edward Jenner, the population of Britain soared. This increase of population lead to more demand from the people for goods such as clothing. To supply this demand, shrewd businessmen began to pioneer new technology to meet the demand off the people. This lead to the first factories. People who once were farmers moved to large cities to get jobs in the factories. This can all be traced back to the British Agricultural Revolution.
