Robert Bakewell

1. His Private Life

Robert Bakewell was born on 23 May 1725. He was the eldest of two brothers and sisters and died at the age of 70 in 1795. His parents were Robert Bakewell II and Rebecca. Robert was a very big man. He had a height of 5ft 10in and a weight of 16 stone. Thus, he appeared very dominant and self-assertive. Moreover, he had an education at Kibworth, which is in the proximity of Leicaster. (de Squire, p. 57)

2. Dishley Grange

The Dishley Grange is situated north-west of England and was taken over by Robert Bakewell in 1760. From this moment, agriculture would start a significant change for Robert Bakewell has developed British Modern Agriculture. He led a British Agricultural Revolution. Robert Bakewell lived on the grange for 70 years. His achievement was so helpful for argriculture that the Royal Agricultural Society's London office, the New Walk Museum in Leicaster and the Brooksby Agricultural College in Melton Mowbray have a portaits of him as a memory of his achievement. The Dishles Grange had had a lot of predeccessors, among them his father and grandfather, who had been caring for the land well. (de Squire, p. 57)

3. British Agricultural Revolution

When Robert Bakewell took the grange, agriculture was undergoing a flux because of an increasing population and the Industrial Revolution both opening new markets. Robert Bakewell formulated his plan to improve the quality and quantity of the crops and animals' standard of living. To achieve this, he had to consider the hedges, dykes and roads as well. (de Squire, p. 57)

4. Methods of Improving Agriculture

At that time agriculture underwent a significant change due to the increasing population and the Industrial Revolution. Bakewell formulated the plan to improve crops and the cattle's standard of living. (de Squire, p. 57)

4.1. Irrigation

Bakewell improved 330 acres of his 440 acres land through irrigation. He built an artificial brook that could reach the house and the farm. In addition to this, the horses and cattle received water as well. (de Squire, pp. 57/58)

4.2. Hedges and Fences

He planted hedges on each side of a ditch and fences too. Thus, the grange had a well-elaborated structure. (de Squire, p. 58)

4.3. Dykes

Due to its situation in low lying land in the Soar Valley, Bakewell built dykes to prevent the land to be flooded. Therefore, he made a few new cuts that nearly had the same size as the brook. (de Squire, p. 58)

4.4. Roads

Approriate roads were erected to improve drainage. (de Squire, p. 59)

4.5. Cattle

Bakewell went abroad to purchase breeding stock to increase the number of his cattle to make it more productive. (de Squire, p. 59, Sea.ca "Innovations of the Industrial Revolutions")

Robert Bakewell owned the grange until it went bankrupt in 1789. (de Squire, p. 61)

5. Bibliography

Royal Agricultural Society of England, 1975. Robert Bakewell. In: Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England Stoneleigh Park: Soc.

Sea.ca. "Innovations of the Industrial Revolutions", The Industrial Revolution, ed. Sea.ca, 1998-2006. http://industrialrevolution.sea.ca/innovations.html.