William Marshall (agricultural writer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Marshall
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| Born | 1745 Sinnington
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| Died | 1818 |
| Resting place | Middleton, Ryedale |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Citizenship | Great Britain |
| Known for | Agricultural writing |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Hodgeson |
| Parent(s) | William and Alice Marshall |
William Humphrey Marshall (born 1745, died 1818) was an English writer. He lived in the 1700s and wrote about farming. He believed the government should help improve farming. He also thought there should be special colleges for agriculture.
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Early Life of William Marshall
William Humphrey Marshall was born in 1745. His hometown was Sinnington in North Yorkshire, England. His parents, William and Alice, were farmers.
When he was 14, Marshall left home. He worked in business in London and the West Indies. He did this for fourteen years.
Marshall's Farming Ideas
When Marshall was 28, he got over a serious illness. He felt it was a miracle. Because of this, he decided to study farming. He had already been learning about it in his free time.
Studying Farming Districts
Marshall believed that farming should be studied in natural areas. These areas were based on the land itself, not on county lines. He thought this was the best way to understand farming.
He also felt that you needed to live and work on a farm for at least a year. Only then could you truly understand the farming practices there. This was different from how others, like Arthur Young, studied farming. Young would quickly travel through a county and talk to people.
In 1774, Marshall rented a farm near Croydon, Surrey. Four years later, he wrote about what he learned there. Marshall's writing style was not as lively as Young's. Young was a very famous farming expert around the world.
Working and Writing
In 1780, Marshall asked the Society of Arts for money. He wanted to do more farming research in England. But the committee, which included Arthur Young, said no.
So, Marshall found work as an estate manager. He worked in Norfolk and then Staffordshire. This work helped him pay for his research and writing. He lived and worked in many places across England. In 1798, he finished a big twelve-volume study. It was called England's Rural Economy. He also worked as a landscape gardener and wrote three books on that topic.
The Board of Agriculture
Marshall spent years asking for a government group to help farming. Finally, the Board of Agriculture was created in 1793. But his rival, Arthur Young, became the Secretary.
Marshall did not like how the Board quickly surveyed counties. However, he did write a report for them about the central Highlands of Scotland. By 1807, he started his second big project. This was a Review and Abstract of the Board's county surveys. This Review had five volumes and took ten years to publish. In it, Marshall was very critical of the Board's reports. He even called Young a "superficial charlatan," meaning someone who pretends to know a lot but doesn't.
William Marshall's Family Life
William Marshall married Elizabeth Hodgson in 1807.
Marshall's Legacy and Death
William Marshall passed away in 1818. At the time, he was building an agricultural college. It was at his home in Pickering, in his home county of Yorkshire.
Today, this building is the Beck Isle Museum of Rural Life. This is a very fitting use for the building. It is also a special Grade II* Listed Building.
