Introduction

During the 1790s Britain was at war with France. At the same time Britain suffered from a series of poor harvests. There were shortages of basic foodstuffs and prices rocketed. There were widespread 'food riots' across the country, which involved people blocking the delivery of food stocks and crowds selling foodstuffs in the market at set prices. The government's response was to commission two surveys (1795 and 1800) to discover precisely how much land was being used for arable production. The more detailed follow-up 'Crop Census' of 1801 was organised by the Home Office but physically carried out by the parish clergy who often visited farmers and land-owners and filled out the forms. The returns can help local historians piece together a picture of the agricultural landscape in parishes across early 19th century rural England and Wales. It was discontinued in 1802 following a good harvest. There was no further national collection of agricultural statistics until 1866 when a continuous series of surveys began. See Parish Summaries

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For the record:

The returns for the 1795 and 1800 enquiries can be found in HO 42. The quality of information found in these returns varies greatly(1).

The standard forms used in the 1801 survey ask for the acreage under various crops and provide a column for 'general remarks'. The information supplied in this final column can vary from a short 'all the crops are good' to a more detailed discussion of a variety of issues such as the quantity of crop per acre, the reluctance of farmers to assist with the survey or the prospects for enclosure.

The 1801 returns for England have been transcribed and edited by M. Turner for the List & Index Society. Those for Wales have also been transcribed by D. Williams and D. Thomas(2).

Footnotes

1. The returns for 1795 can be found in HO 42/36-37; those for 1800 are in HO 42/52-55. Researchers should be aware that these records are not indexed.

2. M. Turner, Home Office Acreage Returns: I - Bedfordshire - Isle of Wight, 1801 List & Index Society Vol. 189 (1982). Home Office Acreage Returns: II - Jersey - Somerset, 1801 List & Index Society Vol. 190 (1982). Home Office Acreage Returns: III - Staffordshire - Yorkshire, 1801 List & Index Society Vol. 195 (1983). Home Office Acreage Returns: Index, 1801 List & Index Society Vol. 196 (1983). D. Williams, 'The Acreage Returns of 1801 for Wales', Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, XIV (1950-51), pp 54-68, 139-54. D. Thomas, 'The Acreage Returns of 1801 for Wales: An Addendum', Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies XVII (1956-7) pp 50-2.

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