Boydell Studies in Rural History

Edited by Nathalie Joly and Federico D'Onofrio

Series Editor

Professor Richard W. Hoyle

This series aims to provide a forum for the best and most influential work in agricultural and rural history, and on the cultural history of the countryside. Whilst it is anchored in the rural history of Britain and Ireland, it also includes within its remit Europe and the colonial empires of European nations (both during and after colonisation). All approaches and methodologies are welcome, including the use of oral history.

Proposals or enquiries are welcomed. They may be sent directly to the editor or the publisher at the email addresses given below.

Richard.Hoyle@reading.ac.uk

Editorial@boydell.co.uk

Previous titles in the series are listed at the back of the volume.

Details

Farm Accounts in Rural Europe, c.1700-1914

Stable URL:https://openaccess.boydellandbrewercms.com/?id=-297312

Open Access license

Analyses how book-keeping and estate accounting transformed attitudes and practices in farm management over three centuries of European history.

From the eighteenth until well into the twentieth century, an ideal model developed of a farmer as accountant, who would record economic transactions meticulously; tidy book-keeping was regarded as the basis of sound management, and only those who accurately dealt with finances would survive and thrive. It is clear that this happened in both theory and practice, with growing numbers of farmers (men and women) keeping increasingly formalized records of their businesses during this period; a wide range of valuable documentation, originating from large estates, small sharecroppers, tenant and owner-farmers alike, has survived.

Drawing on that rich body of sources, this book examines book-keeping and account practices in farm management across Europe, with case studies ranging from Westphalia and the Rhineland to France and Switzerland, over three centuries. It considers who kept these records and their motivations, how practices changed and developed across the period, and in what ways and to what extent accounts and accounting influenced the development of agriculture. It also examines the role of farmers' own organisations and government in encouraging higher standards of accounting.

The Introduction and chapters 7 and 9 are available as Open Access under the Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC-ND.

Author

Edited by Nathalie Joly and Federico D'Onofrio

PublisherBoydell Press

Print publication date Jun, 2025

Print ISBN 9781837651009

EISBN 9781805436836

Base text size -

Boydell Studies in Rural History

Farm Accounts in Rural Europe, c.1700-1914

Chapter illustrations ()