Agricultural Rent in England, 1690-1914

Description

Agricultural historians have collected and published a remarkable amount of material in recent years, partly as a result of the ongoing series 'The Agrarian History of England and Wales'. Missing from the Agrarian History volumes covering 1640-1850 has been any sustained analysis of agricultural rent, a perhaps surprising omission in view of the enormous sums of money which passed between landlords and tenants annually, and given the importance of the subject in terms of our understanding of the general course of change in agriculture and the economy more generally. In recent years the availability of estate accounts in public archive repositories has made available a range of data for the period c.1690 to the First World War, after which the material is voluminous and well known. In this book, based on research in archives across the country, the authors have produced a new rent index which will become the basis on which all future researchers in the field will rely.

"A splendid book, artfully argued and impressively researched, it teaches how creative methods can open new panoramas of historical understanding." Robert L. Woods, Jr., Journal of Interdisciplinary History "...usefull...to the body ofliterature on British agricultural history. ...informative in discussing the pitfalls encountered when researching agricultural history in the early modern and modern periods as they are in discussing their specific topics. Turner, Beckett, and Afton have provided a fine study. It is well written, clearly organized, thorough, and well argued. Because of their approach, Agricultural Rent will be of use to both agricultural history specialists and those with a more general interest in early modern and modern English economic history. ...great deal of information which can be of use to scholars of English agricultural and rural history. Their findings should prove informative to specialists, and their discussions of research and methodology should be eye-opening to students and those with more general interests." Kevin D. Hill, Agricultural History