Agricultural History Review, Volume 55 Part 1 (2007), p. 134

Matthew Culley (1731–1804) and his brother George (1735–1813), two substantial farmers in north Northumberland, have received some attention from agricultural historians such as Stuart Macdonald. Recently, Anne Orde edited and published their travel journals and letters from 1765 to 1798 (OUP, 2002). She has continued her excellent work on their extensive family deposit in the Northumberland Record Office with the editing of another tranche of their papers. This volume brings together ‘the only substantial quantity of outgoing letters from the two Culleys’ (p.xv): the letters from Matthew and George to John Welch, their steward at Denton, the family property in County Durham, from 1798 to 1804. In her introduction, Orde notes that the letters were kept by Welch who ‘apparently later returned them to George or his son, so that they have descended in the Culley papers’ (p.xxiii).

The collection comprises some 242 letters. Most were written by George, the better known of the two brothers. Matthew also sometimes added comments at the end of George’s letters before they were sent to Welch. George’s son, Matthew junior, who worked with his father, also contributed occasionally.

Orde describes George as an ‘assiduous letter-writer’ (p.xxix). George repeatedly stresses the importance of letter writing for the dissemination of information: ‘I keep scolding and requesting you to write often, and I hope in time to be able to convince you of the importance of communication by letter’ (p.75). Information exchange by letter is crucial to their business: ‘What does 5£ postage signify between you and us compared to advantages gained by early intelligence?’ (p.76). He frequently lectures Welch that he was not writing of-ten enough. He provides guidance on methodology: ‘when you send away one, begin another letter to fill up as things occur’ (p.16). He also scolds him for omit-ting to write about things on which he had requested information.

The letters had a range of functions. Although they were written primarily to give Welch instructions, advice, information about markets and to consult with him, they also provided a wide range of information on other matters. Their main themes are agriculture and rural affairs; the state of the weather (a significant topic of discussion); the agricultural operations being undertaken by the Culleys and other farmers; the whereabouts of the two brothers, especially when they were away from home on business; news about people in the agricultural community; and the views of other farmers who corresponded with the Culleys.

A central topic is the state of agricultural markets, especially those for livestock and corn. George provides a wide range of detailed advice to Welch about how to maximize market returns on livestock by selling at opportune times (‘in critical times, it is always wise to sell at these great prices’ p.140). Acutely aware of factors influencing market trends locally, regionally and nationally, George advises where the best returns are likely to be found.

The letters also refer in great detail to many aspects of livestock husbandry. They outline the changes in livestock in southern Scotland in the previous thirty years and describe the increasing popularity of the Dishley (New Leicester) breed of sheep. They show concern for animal welfare. George notes the relationship between the wellbeing of animals and stock quality, observing, for example, that deterioration results from their being driven aggressively or in unsuitable weather conditions.

The letters are a treasure trove of detailed information relating to the management of the Culleys’ farming enterprises between 1798 and 1804, and to other aspects of agriculture – especially livestock and pastoral farming – over a much wider area of England and south-east Scotland. They provide angles that it would be difficult to find in other sources. For example, they record speculations, especially about price trends in various agricultural markets, and the impact (or likely impact) of external events on agriculture. They are especially important in uncovering the rationale behind the day-to-day activities of a very successful farming business.

The editor’s excellent introductory essay gives context to the letters, which are judiciously edited, with helpful footnotes which clarify technical and dialect terms, expand on dates of fairs and markets, supply biographical information, and provide other explanatory elaborations. A note on editorial method is also given. In addition, the volume contains George Culley’s ‘An account of the names of domestic animals at different ages’, which is invaluable for understanding the large number of technical terms for livestock that appear throughout the letters (pp.xxxxii–xxxxiii). The detailed index is especially welcomed: it allows scattered information to become easily accessible to readers who wish to examine a particular subject area.

The editor should be congratulated for undertaking this work and making this valuable collection of letters more widely accessible. This is an important collection which deserves to be widely known and examined in great detail. It is a ‘must’ for all agricultural historians interested in the period and has much to recommend it to scholars from other disciplines.