The Economic History Review

Adaptable and sustainable? Male farm service and the agricultural labour force in midland and southern England, c.1850–19251

Volume 61 Issue 2
Home > The Economic History Review > Adaptable and sustainable? Male farm service and the agricultural labour force in midland and southern England, c.1850–19251
Pages: 467-495Authors: NICOLA VERDON, ALUN HOWKINS
Published online: October 23, 2007DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0289.2007.00405.x

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This article argues that farm service was an adaptable and sustainable system of hiring labour in areas of midland and southern England after 1850, having much in common with the model recently identified for northern England and Scotland. Analysing the Census Enumerators Books from selected parishes in seven counties in 1851, 1871, and 1891, we reveal an intricate pattern of farm service ‘survival’ both within and between counties. We then use a range of reports printed between the 1860s and 1920s to examine the national picture. The later regional persistence of farm service has implications for broader debates on the rural workforce and social relations.

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