history of allotments and changes in cultivation
In reviewing Margaret Willes' book 'The Gardens of the British Working Class' in the Literary Review (April 2014) Mirander Seymour wrote:
“'Now you can't do a poor man a greater kindness, in my opinion, than by giving him a garden.' The speaker was the head gardener of Caunton Manor, which belonged to Dean Hole, one of those stalwart Victorian philanthropists who believed that the best way to keep a suffering soul from the gin shop was to provide him with a plot of land. Such Victorian industrialists and do-gooders – the two went together like a horse and cart – shine out like beacons of energy and determination from Margaret Willes marvellously illuminating book. Her story begins with Elizabeth I, a monarch enlightened enough to decree that each new cottage built during her reign should be granted four acres of ground for cultivation. Royalty and the wealthy have seldom showed such generosity to the have-nots of the land. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, monastic and priory lands were swiftly handed over to Henry VIII's favourites, to be developed for gain and personal pleasure. The Enclosure Act of 1760 notoriously separated many a labourer's family from the modest acre of ground that has kept them fed.”
Partial reparation was made through the legislation in the late 19th and early 20th century, the most important of which was the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908, laid the duty of provision of allotments at the door of the local authorities. It is thought that the first mention of allotments was made in 1809 when King George III was asked to spare in perpetuity 6 acres of land in Great Somerford for the benefit of the ‘poor’. The Allotment Act 1922 specified the maximum plot size as 40 rods (or a quarter of an acre): the Allotments Act 1925 required councils to set up Allotment Committees. However, the Local Government Act of 1972 removed this stipulation.
In the days preceding the First World War, local residents were allowed much more freedom to use their plots as they thought fit. Under the terms of the Allotment Act of 1950 it was considered a tenant’s right to keep hens and rabbits! Similarly, plotholders sometimes are allowed to keep bees, pigs, and goats depending on the terms of the tenancy agreement. As the law stands, local authorities are meant to make adequate provision for allotments at a rent that is reasonable for the growing of fruit, vegetables and flowers.
The peaks occurred during the two World Wars when it was estimated that one and a half million plots were being cultivated. Today, that figure is more like 300,000 to 330,000. During this time many different ways of cultivation have taken place. In the early days a council may have used a plough to help with the preparation of the soil and provide the manure. It was not usual to use machinery to cut grass as this was carried out manually by scything. Petrol-driven mowing machines and cultivators replaced the old way of doing things and artificial fertiliser became an alternative to manuring. Latterly, greener options made a big comeback and many substances have been prohibited under European law, including certain types of seed and pest control.
“'Now you can't do a poor man a greater kindness, in my opinion, than by giving him a garden.' The speaker was the head gardener of Caunton Manor, which belonged to Dean Hole, one of those stalwart Victorian philanthropists who believed that the best way to keep a suffering soul from the gin shop was to provide him with a plot of land. Such Victorian industrialists and do-gooders – the two went together like a horse and cart – shine out like beacons of energy and determination from Margaret Willes marvellously illuminating book. Her story begins with Elizabeth I, a monarch enlightened enough to decree that each new cottage built during her reign should be granted four acres of ground for cultivation. Royalty and the wealthy have seldom showed such generosity to the have-nots of the land. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, monastic and priory lands were swiftly handed over to Henry VIII's favourites, to be developed for gain and personal pleasure. The Enclosure Act of 1760 notoriously separated many a labourer's family from the modest acre of ground that has kept them fed.”
Partial reparation was made through the legislation in the late 19th and early 20th century, the most important of which was the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908, laid the duty of provision of allotments at the door of the local authorities. It is thought that the first mention of allotments was made in 1809 when King George III was asked to spare in perpetuity 6 acres of land in Great Somerford for the benefit of the ‘poor’. The Allotment Act 1922 specified the maximum plot size as 40 rods (or a quarter of an acre): the Allotments Act 1925 required councils to set up Allotment Committees. However, the Local Government Act of 1972 removed this stipulation.
In the days preceding the First World War, local residents were allowed much more freedom to use their plots as they thought fit. Under the terms of the Allotment Act of 1950 it was considered a tenant’s right to keep hens and rabbits! Similarly, plotholders sometimes are allowed to keep bees, pigs, and goats depending on the terms of the tenancy agreement. As the law stands, local authorities are meant to make adequate provision for allotments at a rent that is reasonable for the growing of fruit, vegetables and flowers.
The peaks occurred during the two World Wars when it was estimated that one and a half million plots were being cultivated. Today, that figure is more like 300,000 to 330,000. During this time many different ways of cultivation have taken place. In the early days a council may have used a plough to help with the preparation of the soil and provide the manure. It was not usual to use machinery to cut grass as this was carried out manually by scything. Petrol-driven mowing machines and cultivators replaced the old way of doing things and artificial fertiliser became an alternative to manuring. Latterly, greener options made a big comeback and many substances have been prohibited under European law, including certain types of seed and pest control.