Hello I am please looking to find out more about farming in the Skipton and Craven area of Yorkshire in the 1600s and 1700s.
Ancestors of mine, Henry King and his son William King, who were Quakers, are known to have lived at Mire House near Marton-in-Craven in the 1680s. The house is still there:
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101167328-mire-house-farmhouse-martons-bothI am trying to find out a bit more about farming in the area and wonder if anyone can point me to useful materials.
I have found this online:
https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/4019/1/historic-farmsteads-preliminary-character-statement-yorkshire-humber.pdfThis is helpful as it is specific to the Yorkshire area and includes on page 26 the following:
"Agricultural productivity – particularly of grain – was spurred by a doubling of population from between 2.5 and 3 million to over 5 million by 1660, and an associated rise (by six times) in grain prices. After 1650, a fall in grain prices, a rise in cattle prices and demand from London and other growing urban markets, led to a rise in cattle rearing in the north of England, and of the dairy industry and specialised produce (such as hops and cider) in other areas."I am looking for more information like this to help me understand how farming would have worked in the area and wonder if there are any contemporary accounts of farming in the Skipton area for this time period.
I am particularly interested in how a family would work together in a small farmstead when there would probably be several adult children living together and the dynamics of that. Also how farms were rented/owned and how and where they would have sold their produce and livestock.
If anyone can please direct me to any sources and resources, I would love to know about them.
Thank you,
Jonny
