Allotments – The Birth of Domesticated Horticulture
03.07.2023 - 10:21
/ jparkers.co.uk
Demand for allotments is at an all-time high, and it doesn’t seem to be wavering any time soon. With wait times as long as three or even four years (depending on the area), it’s likely that demand will remain high for a while. Allotments can be dated as far back as the early medieval period, according to The Natural Science and Media Museum.
Throughout history, allotments have gone in and out of style, depending on the economic state of the country. Let’s dive into where allotments began, and why they’ve become so popular in the modern day. Allotment Inception Many say that the first mention of allotments was in the 1500s, but they go further back than that.
In fact, they can be traced back to the early Medieval period, when large fields were divided into thin strips and given to families to grow crops. This was coined ‘the field system’. However, the late 1500s brought an allotment revolution that was far more regulated.
Large fields were divided once again into plots but were to be used only by the owner. They were enclosed by hedges, which were known as ‘the enclosures’, which continued over the next few hundred years with parliament’s involvement. To compensate, small allotments of land were given to tenant cottages.
This is where the first written reference to allotments took place in the UK. These enclosures ensured another thing too – that the poorest society members starved due to a lack of land. It wasn’t until the ‘General Enclosure Act of 1845’, which insisted that field gardens were given to the poor.
However, not much land was set aside for this. Later, in 1907-08, the ‘Small Holdings and Allotments Act’ made councils provide allotments to those who asked, ensuring allotments were shared fairly among all.
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