Agricultural prices, production and marketing, with special reference to the hop industry: North-East Kent 1680-1760

This thesis is the first comprehensive historical investigation of a farming region in Kent. The work relates to the north-eastern sector, the premier agricultural district of the county. The period examined is 1680-1760. The inter-play between changes in agricultural prices and production patterns is investigated, while the significance of commercial agricul­ture in this region provides ample scope for pioneering a study of marketing methods and organization. An examination of the origins and early developments of the hop industry in Kent is long-overdue and the uncovering of new evidence makes it possible to unravel the complexities of this specialized branch of farming during the formative years. The period reviewed is, for the most part, one of prolonged defla­tion. Grains, especially wheat, experienced the greatest falls in price; the "trough" years were undoubtedly the 1730's and '40's. This view, which is generally accepted, is reinforced and exemplified by the new Kentish evidence. This study is primarily concerned with analysing the variety of responses of farmers and middlemen during the long defla­tionary period. The farmers of north-east Kent were unusually adept at adjusting their production schedules and maximising returns in a hostile price situation. For some farmers a partial solution lay in enlarging the size of their farms. The long-term tendency towards larger farm units in Kent is clearly evidenced, especially during the years 1730-50. Another response was to increase the output of the chief cash crops while main­taining their unit costs constant, or even reducing them. This meant, over most of the region, growing more wheat; in Thanet, larger acreages of barley. The productivity of the arable sector was increased by keep­ing more livestock within carefully integrated farming systems, which also involved greater emphasis on the cultivation of new fodder crops. One of the most significant responses was the diversification of the farming economy. Resource endowments were especially favourable. A unique diversity of soil-types gave maximum scope for manoeuvrability and adaptability. Diversification was accompanied by high levels of experimentation, innovation and investment. Many new crops were adopted on a widespread scale. New rotations often incorporated special tech­niques of production and newly-devised implements, for example in the cultivation of beans as a row crop in Thanet and in the Faversham district. While hop cultivation prospered, fruit production seems to have languished, especially from the 1730's when fruit prices were low and recession set in. From the 1680's small acreages of hops appeared on numerous mixed farms throughout the region, while at Canterbury there sprang up a unique concentration of hop grounds within and around the City providing an unparalleled example of successful suburban cultivation. Livestock production comprised an important sector of the rural economy. However, importations of store animals from other parts of the country remained an essential element of the regional structure: cattle from Wales, sheep from the West Country, and horses from the Midlands and northern shires. The droving trade from Wales merits special attention. Critical adjustments on the farms combined with growing efficiency and sophistication in the marketing sector ensured that north-east Kent emerged as one of the most advanced agricultural regions in early Georgian England.