Later
17th Century and Early 18th Century Life in Rural
England.
The
first thing that came to mind while reading this account was the novel Tess
of D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. It is a complex yet moving story that
describes life a little later than The
History and Antiquities of Myddle, by Richard Gough. Both discuss the trials and tribulations of
the working class, landowners in English rural society, and provides a glimpse
of human nature during this period. By
reading this account, as historians what can we learn? Like any period piece, a historian can learn
many things from it. This might not be a
work of literature, but a historical account of life, society, values, and the
socioeconomic structure of Myddle during this time.
The
17th and 18th centuries were of great change and
progress. Hardship and poverty for many in England also lurked. One of the most interesting aspects about
this period in English history is the large social shift among people in the
country. England was coming out of civil
wars, destruction of the monasteries, plagues, and was starting to gain grow as
a nation, but Mother Nature didn’t always agree. With the beginnings of many
cultural revolutions came poor crop production resulting in episodic famine,
many often struggled. Land went dry due
to overuse and climate change. The shift in land ownership in rural communities
and the strong relationships between landowners and their tenants helped the
success of farmers through the many unexpected difficulties.
In
the following example from The History
and Antiquities of Myddle, the use of land is changed from general or
communal, to being section off. We also learn
of the relationships of those who work and live on the land farmers/tenants,
and those who own it, the landowners of the estate.
“The Meare House, at Haremeare, did
stand over crosse the brooke that issueth out of Haremeare; butt when the Meare
was lett dry, the house was removed, and sett by the side of the brooke, and
one Spurstow dwelt in it, and was imployed by Sir Andrew Corbett to looke to
the Heyment of Haremeare, and to tend the catell that were in it, for when it
was let dry, there were catell putt in it as a lay; and after, as it beecame
dry and sound, it was divided into severall pieces.
What
does this example tell us historically? We
learn that the land is being used for: cattle.
Further in the article, land was used for corn and orchards. Historically, the sectioning of land was a
concept that farmers started as early as the 1400’s. Large parcels of lands were hard to manage
with low population, due to the Bubonic Plague. Therefore, smaller parcels of land
were more manageable.
They had the ability to switch out crops and keep up with crop rotation, so the
soil would not go bad. Now a farmer
could grow a variety of different crops through the year such as turnips, peas,
corn, potatoes, and barley. This
increased the production yield for farmers.
In turn, made his land more profitable, perhaps contributing to the
double production rates. Also farmed was hay for cattle and later cabbage for
stall feed for cows, in 1770s. It is
noted, that during the famine of 1799, a farmer was able to provide for his
family and livestock just off potatoes. Being able to manage his land by crop
rotation and keeping the nitrogen content controlled, this contributed to his
salvation.
In
1520, the Agricultural Revolution began. Gough’s history was written and covers
the years of 1634 through 1723 in Myddle during the revolution. The revolution occurred
in two periods: first being 1520-1739, where farm production doubled. Then from
1740-1800 the second period, where farms increase their production 10% in crops
and other goods that are consumed by consumers.
According to Overton a critic of the revolution, he argues the historical
validity of the revolution through literary analysis and believed that
agriculture production rates grew the same as population rates during
1520-1850. In reality, consumption per
“caput” was not a constant; it depended greatly on income and price for
agricultural goods, all were relative to items that were purchased by
consumers, meaning the revolution was driven by public consumption of goods.
What else can we learn from this article?
Interestingly,
Gough’s full account of Myddle is titled Human Nature Displayed in the
History of Myddle. The title alone reveals Gough intention: human
nature, or the social history of the village of Myddle. He does this by making accounts
of the happenings, gossip, stolen cows, ovens blowing up in tenant’s houses,
etc., in his chronicle. Gough’s chronicle is personal and detailed. As a historian, there are many layers to the
events he recorded, adding to its value. For example, if you irritate your neighbor, or
even steal, there are consequences and someone will get even. Life was hard, people worked hard. Honesty was deeply valued, as was one’s good
word and reputation. A good relationship
built on honesty and trust, helped farmers become successful and survive
through harsh conditions. A landowner would always be more willing to help his
tenants out in time of need, if they were trust-worthy. Gough’s records both
the honest and dishonest people, how they reacted to changes that were occurring
around them, including various superstitions.
Good or bad, the reactions we see were methods of survival for many
during this time. Myddle is small; reputation can take a person far. For example,
“After Spurstow, one Reece Wenlocke
dwelt in it. He was descended of good parentage, who were tenants of a good
farme, called Whottall, in Ellesmeare Lordshipp. Butt the father of this Reece
was a bad husband, and a pilfering, thievish person, and this son, Reece, and
another son, named John, who lived at Bald Meadow, in this parish, were as bad
as theire father. They never stole any considerable goods, but were night
walkers, and robbed oarchyards and gardens, and stole hay out of meadows, and
corne when it was cutt in the feilds, and any small things that persons by
carelessnesse had left out of doors.
Reece had a cow, which was stolen
away, and it is reported that hee went to a woman, whom they called the wise
woman of Montgomery, to know what was beecome of his cow; … Butt the greatest
diskindenesse that hee did to his neighbours was, by tearing theire hedges. ….
Att that time William Higginson
dwelt att Webscott, and hee had a servant, named Richard Mercer, a very waggish
fellow.
Reece Wenlocke, among other
hedge-wood, tooke this stick to burne in his oven; and when hee cast it into
the fire in the oven, it blowed up the topp of it, and sett fire on the end of
the house…”
What
does this example tell us about human nature and its importance in Myddle
during this time? Through human nature
such as this, we can learn importance, what people held close to them, and what
was valued. We learn that great pride was
taken in the upkeep of lands, including the livestock raised. The value of a cow is to a tenant or their crops,
is also demonstrated. Cows were
expensive and hard to replace. Reece had his cow stolen or it was taken because
he had the reputation of being a “night walker.” Frustrated and upset with his
neighbors and their reluctance to help; he performs some “short work” to his
neighbor’s hedges. Then to get even, he
puts an oven he built, with the stolen wood/hedges and blows it up. More than
likely this tested his relationship with his landlord and neighbors, but it
also shows the importance of an individuals livelihood and what measures people
took to survive, especially in regards to dishonesty.
Human
nature and the relationships between the villagers in Myddle, tell us many
details about the town and the people in it, as shown above. The historical
value between the landowners and tenants during this time helps us evaluate the
impact it had on historical record. Relations were based on a rented/leased
situation. Leases on the landowners land,
were not just for a short period of time, but longer. For example, “Bishop Heath of Worcester acquired property in south
Shropshire for his see by exchange with the earl of Warwick in 1549, but the
manors concerned were subject to a 200-year lease that Warwick had granted to
William Heath the previous year and they produced only a small reserved rent.” Families
leased the farms that they lived on for many
generations; relationships grew as a result. Some landlords made up for the “influence of
tenure at will on the tenants willingness to lay out capitol.” As the economy shifted and laws changed, landownership
changed hands, tenants often preferred “rack rents” during difficult times. Shropshire was one of the areas that were
spared this hardship. But this didn’t
last forever. Rents were raised in the
late 1740s due to a severe outbreak of cattle plague. Sickness and drought is
never good for the farming economy.
Rent
was the largest expense for farmers. On
average, rent was ¼ of a farmer’s income but at times it was 1/3. After rent, farmers had tithes (A tithe was a one-tenth part of one’s income or
something [an item i.e. crop] that was paid as a contribution to a religious
affiliation or compulsory tax to government, landlord etc.), to pay. Some
paid to landowner with rent, while others paid to different people or entities. A farmer would pay an amount on annual gross
value of produce from their farm. It could be 3 cents per produce, or as much
as 25 cents. Additionally, for a farmer to be successful,
his relationship between how much he had to pay in rent and the value of his
produce per annum was very important. In order to establish this, the
landowner/tenant relationship had to be strong. This is where Gough’s emphasis
on human nature is important. Noted in the “Domesday Book” the relationships in
Shropshire between landowners and tenants were quite friendly.
A
historical text or primary source like the one looked at in this essay, can
tell a historian many things about the time or the people who lived. The town
was alive with gossip and candor, and this is illustrated quite well. We also
are given examples of the relationships between the tenants, landlords and
various neighbors in the town. We also see up close the impact of the
agricultural revolution in progress, and changes in land distribution. Gough’s
focus on human nature, teaches us what was important to these people and why. By
studying the agricultural revolution, we also gain an understanding of the
world around the village. We discover that this is a hard working village,
where honesty is everything. If you are not honest or steal someone’s cow,
prepare yourself for an oven blowing up in your hedges or house, that cow was
important. We learn the value of honesty and dishonesty.
Robert S. Allen “Tracking the Agricultural Revolution in
England.” The Economic History Review, New Series Vol. 52, No. 2 (1999): pp. 215-216
J R Edwards D C Cox, et al. 'Domesday Book: 1540-1750',
A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 4: Agriculture ed. C R Elrington G C Baugh (British History Online,
1989), pp. 119-168
J R Edwards D C Cox, et al. 'Domesday Book: 1750-1875', A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 4:
Agriculture ed.
C R Elrington G
C Baugh (British History Online,
1989), pp. 168-231
