Matthew and George Culley: Farming Letters, 1798-1804

Letters from two farming brothers provide fascinating insights into rural life at the turn of the eighteenth century. The brothers Matthew and George Culley were successful farmers in Northumberland in the late eighteenth century. They contributed greatly to the improvement of agriculture in their area and beyond, notably through sheep breeding [the `Culley sheep' or Border Leicester], and also by practising and inculcating the use of modern techniques of husbandry and modern crop varieties. The letters presented here, written to the steward of the farms they ownedin County Durham, give a detailed day by day account of the Culleys' farming activities, advice and instructions on cultivation, the movement and selling of livestock, the state of the markets, local and family news, and commentson the state of the country. Written in a lively, readable style, they provide a vivid picture of and commentary upon the life of northern England at the time of important change in agriculture and society. Dr ANNE ORDE was until her retirement Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Durham.