Farms and Farming

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Farming practices have varied widely over time, and from place to place, according to soil type, the ability of farmers to invest in their land and each farmer’s individual preferences or views about what would be most profitable. We have produced four research guides on farms and farming, which provide guidance on how to research the history of farming in a Leicestershire parish. Some of this information is also relevant to parishes in other counties. Our four guides cover:

Farming Before 1500

Farming Between 1500 and 1790

Enclosure of the Open Fields

Farming since 1790

The chapter on agrarian history in volume II of the Victoria County History of Leicestershire provides an excellent introductory overview of farming in Leicestershire. This volume can be found in some county libraries and in The Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland

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