Farmland Use, as reported by the Agricultural Census

No chart.

Year Permanent Grass Arable
1871 22,525,761 Show data context
1891 27,567,663 Show data context 20,611,810 Show data context
1901 28,373,988 Show data context 19,386,597 Show data context
1911 27,241,899 Show data context 19,686,722 Show data context
Date: Source:
1871 - 1911 Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Statistics (HM Stationery Office) ,

This website exists to help people doing personal research projects on particular areas within a locality. So long as you are using our data for only a small number of units, you are not making money out of what you are doing, and you are not systematically re-publishing our data, you do not need to request permission from us, but you do need to acknowledge us as your source with the wording:

"This work is based on data provided through www.VisionofBritain.org.uk and uses historical material which is copyright of the Great Britain Historical GIS Project and the University of Portsmouth".

Where the above statement is included in a web page or similar online resource, the reference to "www.VisionofBritain.org.uk" must be a working hyperlink.

nCube definition


The Agricultural Census was not primarily a land use survey, but it did record the area of 'Arable Land' in each farm, and the area of 'Permanent Grass'. The latter was sometimes sub-divided into grass 'for Hay' and 'not for Hay'. The Scottish Farm Census in 1961 classified grassland not into 'Permanent' and 'Rotation' but into grassland aged over and under 7 years old; we treat the latter as being equivalent to 'rotation', and therefore as arable. We do not include the area of 'Rough Grazings' here as it was not r...


ecorded for all dates.


How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, the United Kingdom Sov through time | Agriculture & Land Use Statistics | Farmland Use, as reported by the Agricultural Census, A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10024961/cube/AGCEN_FARM

Date accessed: 09th May 2024