Somewhere around 4000 BC, people in Britain began to give up their old hunter-gatherer way of life, instead raising livestock and planting crops: they became farmers.

This comprehensive and informative guide covers the history of farming in Britain since this time, when cattle were huge beasts and ploughs did little more than scratch the ground’s surface. Tools and technologies may have changed since these primitive times, but the patterns of life on the farm have remained much the same.

From the medieval farm to the Agricultural Revolution as enclosure transformed the landscape, here is the story of how farming has evolved into the tractors and mechanization we recognise today. With photographs and illustrations this book also illuminates the life of farmworkers and their families.

What was it like being a cattle farmer or a shepherd? What did a farmer’s wife spend her day making? An entertaining and detailed guide for anyone interested in the history and lives of the country’s farmers.

 

Includes a list of farms and museums to visit of historic and general interest.