General View of Agriculture county surveys facts for kids
The General View series of county surveys was an initiative of the Board of Agriculture of Great Britain, of the early 1790s. Many of these works had second editions, in the 1810s.
The Board, set up by Sir John Sinclair, was generally a proponent of enclosures.
England
| County | Title | Year | Author | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Bedford | 1794 | Thomas Stone | Bedfordshire was noted for barley, but had some market gardening. Joan Thirsk comments that the conservatism noted in the reports for arable farming was overstated. |
| 1808, 1813 | Thomas Batchelor | Included contributions by Charles Abbot. Batchelor observed the expansion of straw plaiting, carried out largely by women and children. | ||
| Berkshire | General View of the Agriculture in Berkshire | 1794 | William Pearce | |
| General View of the Agriculture of Berkshire | 1809, 1813 | William Fordyce Mavor | ||
| Buckinghamshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Buckingham | 1794 | William James, Jacob Malcolm | James and Malcolm were of Stockwell, according to the title page. |
| General View of the Agriculture of Buckinghamshire | 1810 1813 | St. John Priest, Richard Parkinson | Priest wrote also Delectus Graecorum Sententiarum (1798). A Senior Wrangler, he was vicar of Scarning, and died in 1818. The title page mentions him as Secretary to the Norfolk Agricultural Society. | |
| Cambridgeshire | General View of the Agriculture in the County of Cambridge | 1794 | Charles Vancouver | Vancouver and then Gooch listed 26 parishes where underdraining had been carried out as a land improvement. |
| 1811, 1813 | William Gooch | William Gooch, A.B. was a cleric who signed the work in 1807 from Whatfield parsonage, Suffolk. Gooch, a neighbour and protégé of Arthur Young, was a curate there when brought in to revise the Cambridgeshire survey. Young then recommended him to John Upton, 1st Viscount Templetown as agent for Castle Upton, an appointment that had a poor outcome. | ||
| Cheshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County Palatine of Chester | 1794 | Thomas Wedge | |
| General View of the Agriculture of Cheshire | 1808, 1813 | Henry Holland | Holland advocated for threshing machines, and paring and burning (a technique for bringing land into cultivation). | |
| Cornwall | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Cornwall | 1794 | Robert Fraser | |
| 1811 | George Bouchier Worgan | Worgan, who had fallen into financial difficulties, was given the task of revising the survey by Young, after Richard Parkinson and Humphry Davy had turned it down The report was worked over by Charles Penrose, the Rev. Robert Walker, and the Rev. Jeremiah Trist. | ||
| Cumberland | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Cumberland | John Bailey, George Culley | Bailey was land agent to Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville, at Chillingham Castle. - | |
| Derbyshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Derby | 1794 | Thomas Brown | |
| General View of the Agriculture and Minerals of Derbyshire | I (1811) II (1813) III (1817) | John Farey, Sr. | ||
| Devon | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Devon | 1794 | Robert Fraser | |
| General View of the Agriculture of Devon | 1808, 1809 | Charles Vancouver | The survey noted that pack horses, except in hilly areas, were being replaced by wagons and carts. In general the county's agriculture was not in period of rapid change. | |
| Dorset | General View of the Agriculture, in the County of Dorset | 1793 | John Claridge | Claridge was of Craigs Court, London. |
| General View of the Agriculture of the County of Dorset | 1812 | William Stevenson | ||
| County Durham | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Durham | 1794 | Joseph Granger | Introduction by Sir William Appleby. Granger was a land surveyor at Heugh, near Durham. |
| 1810 | John Bailey | |||
| Essex | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Essex | 1794 | Messrs. Griggs | This was a short report of 29 pages. The Griggs were of Hill House, Kelvedon. |
| General View of the Agriculture in the County of Essex | 1795 | Charles Vancouver | ||
| General View of the Agriculture of the County of Essex I, II | 1807 | Arthur Young | ||
| Gloucestershire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Gloucester | 1794 | George Turner | Turner was of Dowdeswell. |
| 1807 | Thomas Rudge | |||
| Hampshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Hants | 1794 | Abraham and William Driver | The authors were great-uncles of Robert Collier Driver, and were land agents and surveyors in Surrey. Included was Richard Warner, on the Isle of Wight. |
| General View of the Agriculture of Hampshire, Including the Isle of Wight | 1810 | Charles Vancouver | ||
| Herefordshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Hereford | 1794 | John Clark | It has been commented that Clark gave two pages to mistletoe, but had only a few words for Hereford cattle. |
| 1805 | John Duncumb | |||
| Hertfordshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Hertford | 1795 | D. Walker | |
| General View of the Agriculture of Hertfordshire | 1804 | Arthur Young | - | |
| Huntingdonshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Huntingdon | 1793 | George Maxwell | |
| 1793 | Thomas Stone?? | |||
| General View of the Agriculture of the County of Huntingdon | 1811 | Richard Parkinson | ||
| Kent | A General View of the Agriculture of the County of Kent | 1786 | John Boys | |
| Lancashire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Lancaster | 1794 | John Holt | |
| General View of the Agriculture of Lancashire | 1815 | Richard Watson Dickson | ||
| Leicestershire | General View of the Agriculture of Leicester | 1794 | John Monk | Monk reported on the sheep breeding of Robert Bakewell. |
| General View of the Agriculture of the County of Leicester | 1819 (ODNB) | William Pitt | ||
| Lincolnshire | General View of the Agriculture of Lincoln | 1794 | Thomas Brace Stone | |
| General View of the Agriculture of the County of Lincoln | 1799 | Arthur Young | ||
| General View of the Agriculture of the County of Lincolnshire | Arthur Young | |||
| Middlesex | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Middlesex | 1793 | Thomas Baird | |
| 1794 | Peter Foot | Surveyor of Dean Street, Soho, London. | ||
| 1798, 1813 (2nd edition) | John Middleton | On the 1813 title page, Middleton is described as a land surveyor, and as farming at West Barns Farm, Merton, and Lambeth, Surrey. | ||
| Northamptonshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Northampton | 1809 (ODNB) | William Pitt | |
| General View of the Agriculture of the County of Northamptonshire | James Donaldson | |||
| Northumberland | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Northumberland | John Bailey, George Culley | ||
| Norfolk | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Norfolk | 1794 | Nathaniel Kent | |
| 1804, 1813 | Arthur Young | |||
| Nottinghamshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Nottingham | 1794, reprinted 1798 | Robert Lowe | Robert Lowe, of Oxton, was High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1802. Father of Rev. Robert Lowe (1780–1845), rector of Bingham, he was grandfather of Robert Lowe the Chancellor of the Exchequer. |
| Oxfordshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Oxford | 1794 | Richard Davis | |
| 1809 | Arthur Young | |||
| Rutland | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Rutland | 1794 | John Crutchley | |
| 1808 | Richard Parkinson | |||
| Shropshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Salop | 1794 | John Bishton senior (ODNB) | |
| General View of the Agriculture of Shropshire | 1803 | Peter Plough (collective pseudonym) | Joseph Babington, John Stackhouse, Thomas Telford, Robert Townson and William Withering were involved in the compilation; also William Reynolds. The editor was Joseph Plymley, from 1804 Joseph Corbett. | |
| 1812 | Joseph Plymley? | |||
| Somerset | General View of the Agriculture in the County of Somerset | John Billingsley | Billingsley went to the antiquarian Richard Locke for information. | |
| Staffordshire | General View of the Agriculture of Stafford | 1794 (ODNB) | William Pitt | |
| Suffolk | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Suffolk | 1794, 1797 | Arthur Young | |
| Surrey | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Surrey | 1794 | William Malcolm | |
| 1809 | William Stevenson | |||
| Sussex | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Sussex | 1793, 1808? (ODNB) | Arthur Young (the Younger) | |
| Warwickshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Warwick | 1794 | John Wedge | |
| General View of the Agriculture of Warwick | 1815 | Adam Murray | ||
| Westmorland | General View of the Agriculture of Westmoreland | 1794 | Andrew Pringle | |
| Wiltshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Wiltshire | 1794 | Thomas Davis | |
| Worcestershire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Worcester | 1794 | William Thomas Pomeroy | |
| 1813 (ODNB) | William Pitt | |||
| Yorkshire, East Riding | General View of the Agriculture of the East Riding of Yorkshire | 1794 | Isaac Leatham | |
| 1812 | Henry Eustasius Strickland | Strickland (1777–1865) was the youngest son of Sir George Strickland, 5th Baronet. | ||
| Yorkshire, North Riding | General View of the Agriculture of the North Riding of Yorkshire | 1794 | John Tuke | Tuke was a land surveyor of Lincroft, near York. |
| Yorkshire, West Riding | General View of the Agriculture of the West Riding of Yorkshire | 1794, 1799 | Robert Brown, George Rennie, John Shirreff | In 1794, the authors signed (p. 8) from Haddington, East Lothian. |
Ireland
| County | Title | Year | Author | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's County (now County Offaly) | General View of the Agriculture and Manufactures of King's County | 1801 | Sir Charles Coote, 2nd Baronet | Coote (1765–1857) was the illegitimate son of Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont. |
| Queen's County (now County Laois | General View of the Agriculture and Manufactures of Queen's County | Sir Charles Coote | ||
| County Wicklow | General View of the Agriculture and Mineralogy, Present State and Circumstances of the County of Wicklow | 1801 | Robert Fraser |
Scotland
| County | Title | Year | Author | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeenshire | General View of the Agriculture and Rural Economy of the County of Aberdeen | 1794 | James Anderson | |
| General View of the Agriculture of Aberdeenshire | 1811 | George Skene Keith | ||
| Angus | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Angus and Forfar | 1794 | George Dempster | |
| A General View of the Agriculture of Angus | 1794 | James Roger | Roger (1767–1849) was minister at Dunino and father of Charles Rogers. | |
| General View of the Agriculture of the County of Angus, or Forfarshire | 1813 | James Headrick | ||
| Argyllshire | General View of the Agriculture in the County of Argyll. And Western Part of Inverness-shire | 1794 | James Robson | |
| General View of the Agriculture of the County of Argyll | 1798 | John Smith | ||
| Ayrshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Ayr | 1793 | William Fullarton | |
| 1811 | William Aiton | |||
| Banffshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Banff | 1794 | James Donaldson | |
| General View of the Agriculture of the County of Banff | 1812 | David Souter | ||
| Berwickshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Berwick | 1794 | Alexander Lowe | Appendix by Arthur Bruce of the Natural History Society of Edinburgh. The 1799 History of Berwick by John Fuller had its origins in a submission as the Berwickshire survey. |
| 1808 | Robert Kerr | |||
| Bute | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Bute | 1816 | William Aiton | |
| Caithness | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Caithness | 1812, 1815 | John Henderson | |
| Clackmannanshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Clackmannan | 1795 | John Francis Erskine | Erskine was of Marr. |
| Clydesdale | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Clydesdale | 1794, 1813 | John Naismith | |
| Dumbartonshire | General View of the Agriculture in the County of Dumbarton | 1794 | David Ure | |
| General View of the Agriculture of the County of Dumbarton | 1811 | Andrew Whyte, Duncan Macfarlan | ||
| Dumfriesshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Dumfries | 1794 | Bryce Johnstone | Johnstone was a minister at Holywood. |
| 1812 | William Singer | |||
| Fifeshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Fife | 1794 | Robert Beatson of Pitteadie (1732–1815) | |
| General View of the Agriculture of Fife | 1800 | John D. D. Thomson | ||
| Galloway | General View of the Agriculture of Galloway, Comprehending... Kirkcudbright and... Wigton | 1794 | James Webster | |
| General View of the Agriculture of Galloway | 1806 (ODNB) | Samuel Smith | Smith (died 1816) was minister at Borgue, and was grandfather of Samuel Smith (1836–1906). | |
| Hebrides | General View of the Agriculture of the Hebrides, or Western Isles of Scotland | James Macdonald | Macdonald advocated the adoption of the potato as a staple of diet. | |
| Central Highlands | General View of the Agriculture of the Central Highlands of Scotland | 1794 | William Marshall | |
| Inverness-shire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Inverness | 1808 | James Robertson | |
| Kincardineshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Kincardine | 1795 | James Donaldson | |
| General View of Kincardineshire | 1813 (ODNB) | George Robertson | ||
| Kinross | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Kinross | 1797 | David Ure | |
| General View of the Agriculture of the Counties of Kinross and Clackmannan | 1814 | Patrick Graham | ||
| East Lothian | General View of the Agriculture and Rural Economy of East Lothian | 1794 | George Buchan-Hepburn | |
| General View of the Agriculture of East Lothian | 1805 | Robert Somerville | ||
| Midlothian | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Mid Lothian | 1793 (ODNB), 1794, 1795 | George Robertson | The 1795 Edinburgh edition contained "additional remarks of several respectable gentlemen and farmers in the country". |
| 1812 | Robert Bald | Bald was a civil engineer. | ||
| West Lothian | General View of the Agriculture of the County of West-Lothian | 1794, 1811 | James Trotter | |
| Moray | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Elgin or Moray | 1794 | James Donaldson | |
| Nairn | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Nairn | 1794 | James Donaldson | |
| General View of the Agriculture of the Counties of Nairn and Moray | 1813 | William Leslie | - | |
| Orkneys | General View of the Agriculture of the Orkney Islands | 1814 | John Shirreff | |
| Peebleshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Peebles, with Various Suggestions | 1802 | Charles Findlater | |
| Perthshire | General View of the Agriculture of the Carse of Gowrie, in the County of Perth | 1794 | James Donaldson | |
| General View of the Agriculture in the Southern Districts of the County of Perth | 1794 | James Robertson | ||
| General View of the Agriculture in the County of Perth | 1799 | James Robertson | ||
| Renfrewshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Renfrew | Alexander Martin | ||
| General View of the Agriculture of Renfrewshire ... and an Account of its Commerce and Manufactures | 1812 | John Wilson | ||
| Ross and Cromarty | General Survey of the Counties of Ross and Cromarty | 1810 | George Steuart Mackenzie | |
| Roxburghshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Roxburgh | 1794 | David Ure | |
| General View of the Agriculture of the Counties of Roxburgh and Selkirk | 1798 | Robert Douglas | The survey is considered partisan on the enclosure question. | |
| Selkirkshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Selkirk | 1794 | Thomas Johnston | |
| Shetlands | General View of the Agriculture of the Shetland Islands | 1814 | John Shirreff | |
| Stirlingshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Stirling | 1796 | R. Belsches | |
| General View of the Agriculture of Stirlingshire | 1812 | Patrick Graham | ||
| Sutherland | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Sutherland | 1812 | John Henderson | |
| Tweedale | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Tweedale | 1794 | Thomas Johnston |
Wales
| County | Title | Year | Author | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Wales | General View of the Agriculture of North Wales | 1794 | George Kay | |
| General View of the Agriculture and Domestic Economy of North Wales | Walter Davies | |||
| South Wales | General View of the Agriculture and Domestic Economy of South Wales | Walter Davies | ||
| Anglesey | 1794 (ODNB) | George Kay | ||
| Brecknockshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Brecknock | 1794 | John Clark | Clark considered the local cattle to be poor. |
| Cardigan | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Cardigan | Thomas Lloyd, David Turnor | Lloyd was Capt. Thomas Lloyd R.N. of Cilgwyn, a noted agricultural improver. Turnor was a clergyman, reclaimer of land, and founder of a Society for Encouragement of Agriculture. | |
| Carmarthen | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Carmarthen | 1794 | Charles Hassall | Hassall was land steward on the Llanstinian estate. |
| Glamorgan | General View of the Agriculture of the Country of Glamorgan | 1796 | John Fox | |
| Monmouthshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Monmouth | 1794 | John Fox | |
| 1815 | Charles Hassall | |||
| Pembrokeshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Pembroke | 1794 | Charles Hassall | |
| Radnorshire | General View of the Agriculture of the County of Radnor | 1794 | John Clark |
Other
| County | Title | Year | Author | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel Islands | General View of the Agriculture and Present State of the Islands on the Coast of Normandy, Subject to the Crown of Great Britain | 1815 | Thomas Quayle | |
| Isle of Man | General View of the Agriculture of the Isle of Man | 1794 | Basil Quayle | |
| 1812 | Thomas Quayle |
General
William Marshall, who had written the Central Highlands survey, was a rival of Arthur Young, and at odds with him over the surveys. He wrote at length about the reports in 1808 to 1817, producing a five-volume Review, generally critical of the reports. William Lester's History of British Implements and Machinery applicable to Agriculture (1811) drew heavily on extracts from the surveys, where those covered agricultural implements. His introduction commented on the difficulty in referring farmers directly to the reports.
Sir John Sinclair wrote a number of related works:
- General View of the Agriculture of the Northern Counties and Islands of Scotland (1795)
- Account of the Origin of the Board of Agriculture and its Progress for Three Years after its Establishment (1796)
- General Report of the Agricultural State and Political State of Scotland (1814)
- Hints Regarding the Agricultural State of the Netherlands, Compared with that of Great Britain (1815)
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