Land and Society in England 1750-1980

This study of land and society in England from 1750 to 1980 includes chapters on: the landowner and the village; the clergyman and his parish; poverty and the poor law; the decline of agriculture; war and peace; and the World War II and after.

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In 1750 England's population of around six million depended on the land, and landowners controlled not only Parliament and government but, as magistrates, their local districts too. Today, a population eight times larger perceives the land as a place for residence or recreation, rather than a vital economic resource, and landowners have surrendered most of their former political power. Gordon Mingay's engaging book charts the progress, causes and consequences of this major transformation, and, in tracing the development of our modern world, vividly evokes the world that has gone.