Nathaniel Kent facts for kids

Nathaniel Kent (1737–1810) was an important English expert who helped improve how land was managed and used for farming. He was known for valuing land and suggesting better ways to grow crops and raise animals.

Nathaniel Kent's Life Story

Nathaniel Kent was born in Andover, England, in 1737. He was the youngest son of Ambrose Kent and Mary Sylverthorn.

He started his career in a different field, working as a secretary for a diplomat named Sir James Porter in Brussels. While living there, he studied the farming methods used in the Austrian Netherlands. At that time, these methods were thought to be the best in Europe. He also became friends with Benjamin Stillingfleet, a naturalist, which was very helpful for his studies.

Improving English Farms

Nathaniel Kent's published writings made him well-known. This led to many jobs as an estate agent and land valuer. He worked hard to make English farming methods better. Much of his work was in Norfolk, a county in England. He also suggested building large walls (called embankments) in Lincolnshire to protect land. These projects were successfully completed. For a short time, he even worked as the manager of King George III's farm in the Windsor Great Park.

Family Life

Nathaniel Kent married Miss Ann Powell on 25 November 1766. They had two daughters:

• Marianne, born in 1769.
• Sophia, born in 1772. Sophia later married Charles Adams in 1803.

After his first wife passed away, Kent married Miss Armine North on 10 April 1783. She was the granddaughter of Roger North. They had four children:

• Charles, born in 1784.
• George, born in 1787.
• Thomas, born in 1790.
• Harriet, born in 1793. She later married Alexandre T Sampayo in 1820.

Nathaniel Kent passed away from a sudden illness (apoplexy) in Fulham, Middlesex, on 10 October 1810. He was buried at All Saints Church, Fulham a few days later.

Nathaniel Kent's Important Works

Some of Nathaniel Kent's letters to Sir James Porter, written in 1765 and 1766, are kept in the Egerton Manuscripts. When he returned to England in 1766, he wrote a detailed report about Flemish farming. He did this at the request of Sir John Cust, who was the Speaker of the House of Commons. Sir John Cust encouraged Kent to focus his career on agriculture.

In 1775, Kent published an important book called Hints to Gentlemen of Landed Property. This book offered advice on everything from managing large estates to improving homes for farm workers. He also wrote A General View of the Agriculture of the County of Norfolk in 1794 for the Board of Agriculture. He also contributed articles to Alexander Hunter's Georgical Essays in 1803. Details about the king's farm, which he shared with the Society of Arts in 1798, were later published as a small book.