Welsh Journals

CEREDIGION CYLCHGRAWN CYMDEITHAS HYNAFIAETHWYR SIR ABERTEIFI JOURNAL OF THE CARDIGANSHIRE ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY CYFROL (VOLUME) IV 1963 RHIFYN (NUMBER) 4 THE CONDITION OF LABOUR IN MID-CARDIGANSHIRE IN THE EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY* THE second half of the eighteenth century has generally been described as a period of great changes, but this did not apply to Cardiganshire. In agriculture, despite the example of Lord Lisburne at the Crosswood estate, the establishment of an agricultural society in 1784 to encourage the introduction of an approved system of agriculture, and the preach- ing of Thomas Johnes of Hafod, there was little improvement in the county's basic industry. It was of little avail to offer prizes for im- proved husbandry if the resulting products were difficult to sell. Cardiganshire was a long way from its markets-south-east England for cattle, Bristol for salt butter, Bristol and Liverpool for oats and barley-and transport charges were extremely heavy. The changes did come, however, at the end of the century and were largely the result of the situation created by the Napoleonic Wars. Until 1770 England had exported corn regularly but it then began to import and by 1790 the imports were considerable.1 The closure of British ports to foreign corn in 1793, the purchase by government contractors of corn for the fleet and the army, and the shortage created by a series of bad harvests which lasted from 1795 to 1802 created a huge demand for the home product.2 This was felt even in Cardigan- shire and resulted in a marked and rapid increase in the acreage devoted to corn, especially barley, which replaced rye to such an extent that the latter was soon to be found only in the upland areas.8 *An address delivered to the Society at Aberaeron, 9 March 1963.