The document discusses the Agrarian Revolution that occurred in England from the 18th to early 19th century. It overhauled outdated farming methods like the open field system through a series of Enclosure Acts that consolidated land and allowed scientific agricultural advances. New techniques like crop rotation, selective breeding, and manure use increased food production, creating economic growth but also hardship as many peasants lost access to communal lands. Overall, the Agrarian Revolution transformed English agriculture.

1. VIVEKANANDHA COLLEGE OFARTS AND SCIENCE FOR WOMEN,
SANKARI
SOCIAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND
THE AGRARIAN REVOLUTION
PRESENTATION BY
E.MADHUMITHA
B.A. ENGLISH FIRST YEAR

2. OUTLINE
Introduction
Conditions before The Agrarian revolution
Causes of the revolution
Course of the revolution
New scientific methods in farming
Results

3. AGRARIAN REVOLUTION – 18 TH CENTURY
TO EARLY 19 TH CENTURY

4. INTRODUCTION
 Period of technological
development.
 Increased&improved farming
and breeding methods.
 Old method of farming called
OPEN FIELD SYSTEM .

5. CONDITIONS BEFORE THE AGRARIAN
REVOLUTION
Open field system had many defects.
Each manor was under the control of barons and manorial
court.
 Divided narrow strips were given in different places making
cultivation difficult for manors.
Woodland and pasture areas for common use resulted in
disease spreading.
Boundary disputes.

6. CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION
Increasing population with increasing demand with inevitable
price rice of crops.
Decline of wollen industry mandated farmers to concentrate on
agriculture.
Imported of corn from FRANCE stopped after French
revolution.
Money from wollen trade,coal and commerce was utilized in
improvements in farming and breeding.

7. FRENCH REVOLUTION

8. COURSE OF THE REVOLUTION
Enclosure acts were the series of
acts of parliament that
empowered enclosure of open
fields and common lands in
England and Wales.
Between 1604 and 1914,over
5200 individual enclosure acts
covering 6.8million acres in
George II &III reigns.

9. ARTHUR YOUNG
 Arthur young, secretary of the board
agriculture passed many enclosure
acts.
 Caused great hardships to peasants.
 Brought abundant riches to all.
 Become popular and great turning
point in history.

10. NEW SCIENTIFIC METHODS IN FARMING
 Jethro Tull ,a pioneer because he
invented a machine called “drill” for
sowing seeds in rows or columns.
 Concentrated upon the careful
selection of seeds.
 His emphasis on the dept to which
seeds must be sown.
 Prevented the birds from picking up
the seeds.

11. Charles Townshend,another
pioneer introduced the crop
rotation method known as
Norfolk course .
 Cultivations of turnip,
barley,clover and wheat in
rotation prevented
unproductive fallow land.
He was fondly known as
‘Turnip Townshend’

12.  Robert Bakewell from
Leicestershire was revolutionizing
sheep breeding with new scientific
methods.
 His work had been continued by
George Culley, Charles Colling
and John Ellman.
 Charles Colling of Durham’s
experiments in breeding of cattle
brought in ‘Durham short Horns’
which were popular in their meat
and quality of milk they gave.

13. Thomas coke’s innovative
use of bones as manure.
Introduction of new artificial
foods like oil cakes.
He held meetings of new
scientific methods.

14. RESULTS
MERITS
 Enclosure acts put an end to scattered strips of land and
unproductive fallow lands.
 Great supply of corn,meat and wool.
 Growth of banking system.

15. DEMERITS
 The enclosure movement made farmers to sell their lands and
moved to cities became paid labourers.
 The ruin of the bold peasantry by Goldsmith in his ‘ The
Deserted Village’.
 He called it the greatest tragedy of the Agrarian Revolution.

16. THANK YOU !