Mapping Improvement: Reshaping Rural Landscapes in the Eighteenth Century

Gregory, Jon

doi:10.1179/lan.2005.6.1.62

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Indeed, he would probably have made a better job had he forgotten about the social one-upmanship of building a pleasure park and used the land for more practical purposes. Gregory, 2005). Gregory notes the situation on the Merton estate in Norfolk where new enclosures were used to form part of a new scenic park rather than to increase the farmland, and former dwellings near to Merton Hall were cleared (2005: 67).…”

Section: Agrarian and Settlement Characterisation Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Spalding Club, 1849: 255). Although much might be spoken of 'Improvement' by the landholders, their deeds frequently tell another story (Gregory, 2005). Such duty related to the requirement to turn out for military service (Whyte, 1983: 121).…”

Section: Agrarian and Settlement Characterisation Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such priorities do not, however, appear uncommon for the time. Gregory notes the situation on the Merton estate in Norfolk where new enclosures were used to form part of a new scenic park rather than to increase the farmland, and former dwellings near to Merton Hall were cleared (2005: 67). Similarly, in the 1760s, the Duke of Gordon had the town of Fochabers moved further away from Gordon Castle onto former infield land (Slater, 1980: 241).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Enlightenment values encouraged the ‘improvement’ of the great unwashed but, preferably, whilst out of sight (cf. Gregory, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Agrarian and Settlement Characterisation in Post-Medieval Strathbogie, Aberdeenshire, 1600–1760

Shepherd¹

2011

Rural History

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Documentary, cartographic and archaeological sources suggest that agrarian practice in the north east of Scotland from the late sixteenth to the mid eighteenth centuries was more diverse, dynamic and targeted than often supposed. The evidence suggests that Strathbogie saw extensive agricultural expansion throughout the entire period, especially in areas demonstrating earlier underutilisation. Real improvement and expansion occurred as a result of developing existing traditional systems of agriculture, which was socially at odds with the later and much vaunted 'Improvements'. These practices maximised productivity by targeting the production of a range of commodities at their most appropriate ecological zones within the overall landscape of the estate, the Lordship of Huntly. Such a model for production appears to have influenced the settlement strategy within those individual ecological zones. However, an over-emphasis upon grain production may, ultimately, have resulted in unsustainable practices, contrasting with earlier more ecologically-targeted ones.

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Section: Agrarian and Settlement Characterisation Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Agrarian and Settlement Characterisation Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Enlightenment values encouraged the ‘improvement’ of the great unwashed but, preferably, whilst out of sight (cf. Gregory, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Agrarian and Settlement Characterisation in Post-Medieval Strathbogie, Aberdeenshire, 1600–1760

Shepherd¹

2011

Rural History

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“…Land and its exploitation were bound up in complex agendas, and in the kind of agriculturally marginal areas in which large estates flourished extensive improvement schemes were usually only partly motivated by a desire to make money. Indeed, most estates probably had little idea of how much money they were making (Gregory, 2005), and even when aware that some reclamation and improvement projects were financially ruinous they often regarded this with equanimity. When in 1774 Thomas de Grey bemoaned the costs of enclosing the heaths at Tottington in Norfolk he observed that the "great expense.…”

Section: The Language Of Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%