Parish summaries of Agricultural and Horticultural Census returns for East Midlands counties; 1964-1985

The collection comprises parish summaries from East Midlands counties for selected years only. Each county is represented by a set of data sheets, one for each agricultural parish (data from civil parishes containing less than three holdings was entered with a neighbouring larger parish in order to maintain confidentiality).

Each data sheet contains the following information: acreages under arable cultivation, broken down by type of crop; number of agricultural workers in the parish; numbers of various types of livestock; acreages under horticultural cultivation, broken down by type of crop; and numbers of holdings analysed by size. From 1970 onwards this last question is replaced by numbers of holdings analysed by standard man-days of work carried out, and numbers of holdings analysed by size and farming class.

The collection is made up of the following series:

Parish summaries from June 1964 for the counties of Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire (Lindsey), Lincolnshire (Kesteven), Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire (MS 188/1/1-7)

Parish summaries from June 1970 for the counties of Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire (Lindsey), Lincolnshire (Kesteven), Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire (MS 188/2/1-7)

Parish summaries from June 1975 for the counties of Northamptonshire, Humberside, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire (MS 188/3/1-6)

Parish summaries from June 1980 for the counties of Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire (MS 188/4/1-5)

Parish summaries from June 1985 for the counties of Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire (MS 188/5/1-5)

From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and its predecessors conducted annual censuses on arable production and livestock in main agricultural holdings (larger farms, as defined by MAFF). From September 1956 forms completed by farmers on the first working day of June each year were returned to the Agricultural Census Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at Guildford. The data was then aggregated to the level of the agricultural parish, to avoid identifying individual holdings, and to county level.

These parish summaries are Public Records under the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967. They are duplicates of parish summaries available at The National Archives (Reference: MAF 68).

The collection has been arranged by date, and within that by county.

Accessible to all registered readers.

This description is the only finding aid available for the collection. Copyright on the description belongs to the University of Nottingham.

Good

Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational and private study purposes only, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

The parish summaries of Agricultural and Horticultural Census returns are subject to Crown Copyright. Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in writing from the Keeper of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email: mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk)

The summaries were acquired by the University of Nottingham's library of Agricultural and Food Sciences at Sutton Bonington. They were transferred from library holdings to the Department of Manuscripts in 1988.

The National Archives: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and predecessors: Statistics Divisions: Parish Summaries of Agricultural Returns, 1866-1988 (Reference: MAF 68)