Description:The image above shows an extract from the North Staffordshire Estate Cropping Book. The document records details of the agricultural holdings on the Duke of Sutherland’s North Staffordshire Estates, providing the name of tenants who occupied farms in North Staffordshire and details of the crops which they grew on their lands.
The extract here provides information about farms in Tittensor, telling us about people involved in agricultural work in Tittensor during the middle of the nineteenth century.
Thomas Stanley occupied Knowlwall Farm in Tittensor during the 1850s. The Cropping Book indicates that he grew wheat, oats and beans in 1851 with many of his fields being used for pasture, fallow or meadow. In 1852 he grew turnips and ‘Turnips & Potatoes’ in 1853. Later in the 1850s he grew oats and barley.
Thomas Broomhall of Newhouse Farm in Tittensor made similar use of his fields for pasture and meadow. ‘Italian Rye Grass’ is listed as being grown on Newhouse Farm in 1851 alongside wheat, turnips, potatoes and barley. Throughout the period peas and oats were also grown on the farm and in 1856 ‘MangleWurzle’ is listed as being grown. This vegetable normally used for feeding cattle was grown alone or with turnips.