What exactly is an agricultural labourer?

[MacGrigor]

Hello,

The bulk of my ancestors are listed as being agricultural labourers, and few lived to the 1911 Census when they could write exactly what jobs they did do. Charles Graves described himself as a 'farm labourer' in 1911, for example. What sort of jobs would an agricultural labourer do in a village? I realise there's probably a lot but I'd be interested to see what sort of work it could entail.

Thanks,

Adam

[BumbleB]

You might find this of interest, and help.

http://www.victorianweb.org/history/work/labourers.html

[MacGrigor]

Thanks! I'll take a look now.

[Regorian]

Despite the rapid industrialisation of Britain from 1800, by 1850 50% of the workforce were still employed in farming, crops and animal husbandry. Presumably, the statistic was calculated from the 1851 Census.

My memories go back to the early 1950's. In our village (Wexham, Bucks) there was a large farm and they still had a couple of large square wagons with large wheels hauled by shire horses. The aglabs allowed us to sit on them as they took the beet back to the farm. Don't remember any Fordson tractors, but they muat have replaced the horse drawns soon after.

We left in 1958 for another village where a retired headmaster wrote a small history. It included photographs from the 1920's and 1930's. They showed harvest time and there were still quite a lot of ag workers.   

[Berlin-Bob]

You can find some more topics on Agricultural Labourer in the
RootsChat Reference Library => Lexicon ^{(click here)}
(Tip: click on a category - on the right - for related topics)

These topics will give you various descriptions and links for further reading.

Bob

ps
the first topic in that list also notes that some agricultural labourers (or sometime aka :Ag.Labs) were also known as Husbandmen

[suey]

You can find some more topics on Agricultural Labourer in the
RootsChat Reference Library => Lexicon ^{(click here)}
(Tip: click on a category - on the right - for related topics)

These topics will give you various descriptions and links for further reading.

Bob

ps
the first topic in that list also notes that some agricultural labourers (or sometime aka :Ag.Labs) were also known as Husbandmen

Husbandmen, you'd need to see if he was an employed man rather than renting or owning his own land or farm as I believe originally a husbandman would have been one step up from an ordinary ag lab. in that he would have owned or rented his own farm.

Later in time I was led to believe that a husbandman looked after the farm livestock as opposed to crops.

[Milliepede]

I always get  by the term husbandman.  One of mine is described as such on some baptisms of his children in the early 1800's.  I must look it up again and try to comprehend! 

[stanmapstone]

Husbandman is the old word for a farmer below the rank of yeoman. A husbandman usually held his land by copyhold or leasehold tenure, and may be regarded as the average farmer in his locality. The words yeoman and husbandman were gradually replaced in the late 18th. and 19th. centuries by farmer.

Stan

[Milliepede]

Thank you Stan.  So if I could locate exactly where he husbanded might there be records with his name on - that would be exciting - especially if he took over from his father as I don't know who his father was and it's my main paternal line.

Anyway I digress thank you