Welsh Journals

THE RADNORSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY By W. H. HOWSE, F.S.A. (Reprinted from The Radnorshire County Show Programme, 1960, by kind permission). Having been asked to write a few notes by way of introduction to this Programme of the 1960 Show of the above Society, I should like to begin with some facts concerning the Society and its predecessors. The Show is described as the 66th. That of course applies to the present organisation, which was formed in 1873, and held its first Show at Penybont on October 14th, 1873. This year is therefore the 87th of the present Society's existence, though for one reason or another it has held only 65 Shows before this year. But what about its predecessors ? This Society was in fact a re- constitution of an older Society with the same title, which lasted from 1841 to about 1850. Owing to the difficulties of transport about the county, that Society gave way for a time to a number of local Societies. It had itself in 1841 replaced another County Society, which was formed in 1809, and was active until 1822. There was yet an earlier Society, started in 1790 by a group of Radnorshire agriculturalists and others who met in London, calling themselves the Radnorshire Society, with the main object of improving agriculture in the county. That Society gave special attention to the cultivation of turnips, then a new crop, which went far to overcome the difficulty of providing winter feed for farm animals. It was offering prizes for the best yields from 1791 onwards. The Society of 1809 was formed within the county. Actually it worked for a time with the earlier Society, which changed its title to the "London Radnorshire Society." All these Societies directed their activities from Presteigne. The London Society staged a Show of rams at Presteigne in 1792, which took place on the Burgage. When the present Society brought its Show to Presteigne in 1950, 102 years had passed since the last County Show was held there. No one who has read Lord Rennell's great book Valley on the March (Oxford University Press, 1958) will need to be reminded of the important part played by this area of the March in agriculture over a period of centuries. Indeed Presteigne itself received from Henry III, as far back as 1225, the grant of a weekly market and an annual fair. Its modern recognition by the Society is therefore in keeping both with history and tradition. I do not propose to give here a detailed account of the three earlier Societies. Such can be found, if requied, in the Transactions of the Radnorshire (Archaeological) Societv, 1945, (pp. 28-32). Some Societies take a justifiable pride in adding to their title the words "First founded."