THE FARMWORKERS’ LOT
The industrial revolution had been fundamental to Britain’s prosperity and place in the world; the ability to utilise raw materials such as iron and steel, cotton, timber, and coal and just about everything in between was beyond comprehension. By 1900, Great Britain had become one of the most influential nations on earth.
Free trade
Whilst finished goods exited our ports, more raw materials arrived to be transported inland, and this exchange was largely tariff-free (or by free trade agreement). Between 1900 and 1914, agriculture limped along in a perilous state, and many people moved from rural villages to towns and cities for betterpaid jobs.
At the turn of the century, most farmers were tenant farmers renting from large estates, but post-war many of these estates were becoming impoverished by higher taxes and death duties. Estates and tenanted farms alike were left to run wild; buildings fell into dereliction and the prospect for those who depended on them for a living meant they had little alternative but to seek their fortune elsewhere or starve.
Toeing the line
Landowners disposing of
