This is a study of agricultural rent in England from c. 1690 to the First World War. It concentrates on the mechanisms by which rent was paid by tenants to their landlords and builds up a rent index that provides a definitive picture of the pattern of rent over the period. The book adds a critical dimension to our understanding of English agricultural history through the period of the so-called agricultural revolution, and as such will help us understand more fully the economic history of the period.

This is a study of agricultural rent in England from c. 1690 to the First World War. It concentrates on the mechanisms by which rent was paid by tenants to their landlords and builds up a rent index that provides a definitive picture of the pattern of rent over the period. The book adds a critical dimension to our understanding of English agricultural history through the period of the so-called agricultural revolution, and as such will help us understand more fully the economic history of the period.

Economic historians have long appreciated the important role of the Lowther family in the developing Whitehaven from a tiny fishing village into a flourishing industrial centre. In Coal and Tobacco, Dr Beckett has attempted, by analysing the west Cumberland economy, and the Lowther's entrepreneurial role, to reveal the vital importance of the coal industry. Since much of the coal was sold in Ireland, west Cumberland moved into a relationship with Dublin which was similar to, albeit on a smaller scale than, the more famous link between Tyneside and London. The coal trade provided the vital...