FARMS & FARMING

Look at any census before World War 2 and the majority of workers in Mulbarton were Agricultural Labourers. Until then, farming was labour-intensive. 'Ag Labs' not only depended on their employers for their wages, but in many cases for their accommodation, too. The farm books for Paddock Farm give a picture of the work - and wages - undertaken in the 1860s. In the next 80 years mechanisation meant fewer farm workers were needed, but changes seem to have come slowly as the 1941 National Farm Survey shows:

The 1941 Farm Survey

As World War 2 took hold, the Government wanted to know the state of farming in wartime Britain and how food production might be improved. Farmers had to complete a questionnaire, and Inspectors assessed the state of each farm.
There were 6 full returns for Mulbarton: 4 from farmers (Paddock Farm - Mr F Jackson; Old Hall & Malthouse Farms - Mr A Fairman; Lodge Farm - Mr R Cross; Kenningham Hall Farm - Mr J Burfield); 1 from a landowner who lived at Arminghall Manor and rented out Hall Farm, Mulbarton; and 1 from Mrs Alice Muskett whose market garden surrounded Hill House.
Most of the farmers were tenants - only Mr Fairman and Mrs Muskett owned their land. Vegetables, fruit and flowers were sold from a number of market gardens and orchards. Barley was the main arable crop, with some oats, sugar beet and other root crops. There was even some flax grown at Kenningham Hall Farm. A lot of land was under grass - no doubt for the cattle and horses listed - and there were varying numbers of pigs and poultry. Generally, the Inspector found everything in good condition.
Labour was in short supply, and many farmers were managing with help from family members. Mr Fairman employed 3 men; Mr Jackson employed 4 men and 2 women. Probably all employed casual labour for fruit-picking and the harvest. But it is fascinating to note the almost total lack of machinery. Questions were asked about 'Motive Power', Tractors - and number of horses. None of the farms had electricity. Malthouse Farm had no machinery, 2 horses. Mrs Muskett had an engine for pumping water. Mr Burfield had 1 electric motor (10 hp) and 10 working horses at Kenningham Hall farm. Mr Jackson at Paddock Farm boasted 2 electric motors (5 and ½ hp) and 1 Allis Chalmers tractor. Mr Cross at Lodge Farm was the most highly mechanised with 3 oil or petrol engines (2 x 6 hp; 1 of 2¼ hp); 1 electric motor (¾ hp); 2 Fordson tractors (each 26 hp) and he still had 9 working horses.
It seems that farming in Mulbarton in 1941 - still within living memory - was not far removed from Victorian times. Horse-power still meant just that - horses.

The Land & Land Use

'The soil is sand and loam, subsoil various. The chief crops are of the usual kind.' This is the less than helpful summary in the description of the parish in Kelly's Post Office Directory of the 1860s. It is repeated for most parishes in the area, no doubt by a writer who had never visited! Today's residents, who struggle with the heavy clay in their gardens or allotments.might give a different summary....

The underlying geology of the Mulbarton area is glacial drift, left over from the Ice Age, and the soil is mainly boulder clay (map 1 below). This is 'heavy' soil to work, but where drainage is good, it is good arable land. A Tithe Map was produced around 1840 to indicate land ownership and value, but it also gives us a picture of land USE in that era (map 2 *). Mulbarton is largely arable, with pasture the valleys and on some flatter, poorly-drained land. By the time of the national Land Use Survey in the 1930s, the picture is not so different, except that now, with better transport to Norwich and to national markets from local stations, a number of market gardens have appeared, growing fruit, vegetables and flowers (shown in pale purple on map 3). By the 1960s, when the next Land Use survey was undertaken, the picture was much the same. Today, much of the former farmland is covered with houses....

The 'usual crops' mentioned in the 1860s Directory would have been the ones that formed part of the Norfolk 4-course Rotation: wheat and barley, turnips, and grass with clover for hay. Each year he crops would 'rotate' around different fields, ensuring that no land was left fallow. the soil fertility in each field was replenished, and there was plenty of good animal feed. In return, the animals provided plenty of manure for the fields. This system was promoted by Charles ('Turnip') Townsend of Raynham Hall, Norfolk, in the 18th century and its use was often written into the contracts of tenant farmers as a requirement. The Paddock Farm books give a good idea of the crops on that farm in the 1860s. Come into the 20th century and turnips are replaced by another root crop, sugar beet, promoted by Dutch workers. 

Farms & Farmers

Remarkably, in 1921, two of the larger farms in Mulbarton were run by women: Mrs Draper at Hall Farm and Mrs Hill at Lodge Farm. Both were widows and quite elderly, and would retire within a few years. Mr Tuddenham was at Kenningham Hall and Mr Fairman at Malthouse Farm and also farming the land of Paddock Farm. Out at Wood Farm (at the far end of Wood Lane, Swardeston, but then part of Mulbarton parish) was Mr George Downing. These farmers were the major employers of the village, and in many cases provided housing for their workers, too. Farms in adjacent villages of Swardeston and Bracon Ash also employed Mulbarton residents. The details of the farms and those who owned them are in separate sections: you can click on the links above.

* Land Use on Tithe Map kindly drawn and provided by Graham Crummett and David Kirk of the Wreningham History Group.