Aspects of agrarian change in south-west Lancashire, c.1650-1850
This thesis examines agricultural and agrarian developments 1650-1850 in a region - south-west Lancashire - that was increasingly dominated by industry and large urban centres. The thesis is firmly located within two distinct historiographical traditions: 'agrarian capitalism' and 'agricultural revolution'. The debates encompassed by these concepts have been largely conducted around the development of arable agriculture. Large parts of the north and west of England have been peripheral to these debates and the models of agrarian development were not constructed with counties like Lancashire in mind. This thesis, therefore, offers a geographical corrective to the existing literature. Not surprisingly, the models are found wanting, and patterns of agrarian and agricultural developments in Lancashire follow a different path to arable counties in the English Midlands and East Anglia. Yet, agriculture in Lancashire did not stagnate and farmers and landlords were enclosing and improving land from at least the middle of the seventeenth century in a bid to increase productivity. However, change was much more pronounced from the last third of the eighteenth century, when population growth, industrial expansion, increasing
Gritt, Andrew Jonathan
Human & social geography by area
Aspects of agrarian change in south-west Lancashire, c.1650-1850. This thesis examines agricultural and agrarian developments 1650-1850 in a region - south-west Lancashire - that was increasingly dominated by industry and large urban centres. The thesis is firmly located within two distinct historiographical traditions: 'agrarian capitalism' and 'agricultural revolution'. The debates encompassed by these concepts have been largely conducted around the development of arable agriculture. Large parts of the north and west of England have been peripheral to these debates and the models of agrarian development were not constructed with counties like Lancashire in mind. This thesis, therefore, offers a geographical corrective to the existing literature. Not surprisingly, the models are found wanting, and patterns of agrarian and agricultural developments in Lancashire follow a different path to arable counties in the English Midlands and East Anglia. Yet, agriculture in Lancashire did not stagnate and farmers and landlords were enclosing and improving land from at least the middle of the seventeenth century in a bid to increase productivity. However, change was much more pronounced from the last third of the eighteenth century, when population growth, industrial expansion, increasing
aspects agrarian change south_west lancashire examines agricultural agrarian development region_south west lancashire increasingly dominate industry large_urban centre firmly locate_within two_distinct historiographical_tradition agrarian capitalism agricultural revolution debate encompass concept largely conduct around development arable_agriculture large_part north_west_england peripheral debate model agrarian development construct county like lancashire mind therefore_offer geographical corrective exist_literature surprisingly model find want pattern agrarian agricultural_development lancashire follow different path arable county english midlands east_anglia yet agriculture lancashire stagnate farmer enclose improve land least middle seventeenth_century bid increase productivity however change much pronounce population_growth industrial expansion increase