A Short History of English Agriculture

About this book

This work is a scholarly survey of English agriculture from its earliest communal roots through the modern era, written by W. H. R. Curtler in 1909. It opens with a quotation from the 16th‑century writer Markham, who declares the husbandman the “master of the earth,” and follows with a similar affirmation from Young, establishing the premise that agriculture underpins every other art and trade. Curtler then explains his purpose: to fill the gap of a comprehensive history of England’s greatest industry, focusing especially on the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The table of contents outlines a chronological journey, beginning with the communal farming of the Anglo‑Saxon period, moving through the manor system, the Black Death, enclosure, and the rise of new crops, and concluding with the agricultural situation in 1908. The opening chapter already demonstrates the author’s methodical approach, tracing land‑ownership patterns, field organization, and the evolution of communal versus private tenure.

The book’s voice is that of an early‑20th‑century academic, marked by formal diction, extensive footnote‑style references, and a reliance on contemporary authorities such as Maitland and the Board of Agriculture. Its style is dense but clear, combining narrative history with detailed statistical tables and appendices that record prices, imports, and exports across centuries. Readers who appreciate meticulous research, students of agrarian history, economic historians, and enthusiasts of England’s rural past, will find Curtler’s exhaustive chronicle rewarding. Those interested in the social impact of enclosure, the development of farming techniques, or the interplay between legislation and agricultural practice will especially enjoy the book’s breadth and its grounding in primary sources.