Below are some resources I recommend if any of your ancestors in your family tree were agricultural labourers.

A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z

Description: Someone who worked in the farming industry assisting in the running of a farm to produce livestock, dairy or crops. Agricultural labouring tended to be seasonal work, helping at harvest time or when calves and lambs were born in the Spring. Labourers worked long hours for very low pay in all weather conditions, not to mention the back-breaking work itself!! With the onset of the industrial revolution, machines started to be introduced to farms. One such example was the threshing machine. Following the example set by the Luddites protesting against machinery in textile mills, the agricultural labourers of 1830 and 1832 sought out and broke these machines. The riots were known as the Swing Riots and took place mainly across Southern and Eastern England. Whilst the machinery was the main focus of these riots, it was really the catalyst to protest against wages, work conditions and the general poverty of the workers. See also: Farmer, Farmer's Labourer, Agricultural Engine Driver, Agriculturalist.

Websites:

Victorian web: Agricultural Labourer

Northants1841 - extract from 'The Victorian Peasant'

Cambridge History: Agricultural Labourer

Reading materials:

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