John Mortimer (c. 1656 – 1736) was an English
merchant, and writer on agriculture, known for ''The whole Art of Husbandry, in the way of Managing and Improving of Land'' published in London in 1707.
Biography
John was born in 1656, the only son and heir of Mark Mortimer, grocer of London, by his wife Abigail Walmesley of
Blackmore in Essex, who married 3rd October 1651 in the parish of
St Anne and St Agnes
St Anne and St Agnes is a church located at Gresham Street in the City of London, near the Barbican. While St Anne's is an Anglican foundation, from 1966 to 2013 it was let to a congregation of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain.
History
The ...
, London. His father was born into a yeoman family of
Bow, Devon, and had a brother Peter who also entered into a commercial profession. John Mortimer received a commercial education, and became a prosperous merchant on
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher gro ...
.
![Towards Termitts Farm - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Towards_Termitts_Farm_-_geograph.org.uk_-_405405.jpg)
In November 1693, at the age of about 43, he bought the estate of Topping Hall,
Hatfield Peverel
Hatfield Peverel is a village and civil parish at the centre of Essex, England. It is located 6 miles (10 km) north-east from Chelmsford, the nearest large city, which it is connected by road and rail. The parish includes the hamlets of ...
, Essex, which he improved; a number of cedar trees planted by him were still in there in the 19th century. Mortimer became
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...
in December 1705.
Mortimer was married three times. His first wife, Dorothy, born at Hursley, near Winchester, on 1 August 1660, was the ninth child of
Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell.
On his father's deat ...
, and it is supposed that the ex-protector's return to England in 1680 was prompted by a desire to be present at the wedding. She died in childbirth (14 May 1681) within a year of the marriage. He married, secondly, Sarah, daughter of Sir John Tippets, knight, surveyor of the navy, by whom he had a son and a daughter. Thirdly, Mortimer married Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Sanders of Derbyshire, by whom he had four sons and two daughters. The second son was
Cromwell Mortimer.
Works
Mortimer wrote ''Some Considerations concerning the present State of Religion, with some Essays towards our Love and Union'', London, 1702, against sectarian feeling, ''Advice to Parents, or Rules for the Education of Children'', London, 1704, and ''The whole Art of Husbandry,'' in 1707.
''The whole Art of Husbandry'', 1707
Mortimer's ''The whole Art of Husbandry, in the way of Managing and Improving of Land'' forms a landmark in English agricultural literature, and largely influenced husbandry in the 18th century. The writer states that he had read the best books on ancient and modern agriculture, and inspected the practice of the most diligent husbandmen in most countries. After duly digesting these he had added his own experiences.
The book, which treats not only of the usual branches of agriculture, but also of
fish ponds,
orchard
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of ...
s, and of the culture of
silkworms, and the making of
cider, is said by
Donaldson (1854) to "form a very large advancement in the progress of agriculture from the preceding authors on the subject. Trees and fruits do still occupy too much room, but the animals are more largely introduced and systematically treated."
[John Donaldson's ''Agricultural Biography'', (1854) p. 41; Containing an abstract of the contents of the Art of Husbandry.]
The work was dedicated to the Royal Society, of which Mortimer had been admitted a member in December 1705. A second edition was issued in 1708, and a third in 1712, "containing such additions as are proper for the husband- man and gardiner (sic) ... to which is added a Kalendar, shewing what is to be done every month in the flower garden." It was translated into Swedish by Jacob Serenius in 1727, and a sixth edition, with additions, and revised by
Thomas Mortimer
Sir Thomas Mortimer (c. 1350–1399) was a medieval English soldier and statesman who served briefly in several important administrative and judicial state offices in Ireland and played a part in the opposition to the government of King Richard ...
, the writer's grandson, appeared in 2 volumes in 1761.
''The whole art of husbandry'', content
''The whole art of husbandry'' consisted of a total of 15 books, published in one volume, each book divided into chapters on connected subjects. The first book has four chapters – on inclosing lands; of pastures, and meadow lands, how to improve them, and defend by banks from floods and tides; and of making hay; and of several sorts of grass seeds, as
clover
Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...
,
sainfoin
__NOTOC__
''Onobrychis'', the sainfoins, are a genus of Eurasian perennial herbaceous plants of the legume family (Fabaceae). Including doubtfully distinct species and provisionally accepted taxa, about 150 species are presently known. The Flo ...
, and
lucerne, – ray grass,
trefoil
A trefoil () is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings, used in architecture and Christian symbolism, among other areas. The term is also applied to other symbols with a threefold shape. A similar shape with four ring ...
, and several other grasses. The second book has 6 chapters – of arable land and tillage; on
ploughs, of which some are figured; and the square earth board is shown and recommended for stiff clays; the Hertfordshire wheel-plough was until in the 19th century much recommended; of ploughing and laying land in ridges; of sowing corn and steeping it. The third book has three chapters, describing the different natures of soils; the ability and power of production.
The fourth book has seventeen chapters: I. On the manuring and digging of lands, with observations on each sort of
manure
Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the Soil fertility, fertility of soil by adding organic ma ...
; II. Of the burning of land ; III. Of
chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...
; IV. Of
lime
Lime commonly refers to:
* Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit
* Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide
* Lime (color), a color between yellow and green
Lime may also refer to:
Botany ...
. ; V. Of
marl ; VI. Of
fuller's earth
Fuller's earth is any clay material that has the capability to decolorize oil or other liquids without the use of harsh chemical treatment. Fuller's earth typically consists of palygorskite (attapulgite) or bentonite.
Modern uses of fuller's ea ...
. ; VII. Of
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
. ; VIII. Of
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...
. ; IX. Of earth. ; X. Of sea
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...
and
weed
A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...
. ; XI. Of
dungs. ; XII. Of sheep's dung. ; XIII. Of hog's dung. ; XIV. Of
urine
Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excreted from the body through the urethra.
Cellular ...
. ; XV. Of human ordure. ; XVI. Of the dung of fowls. ; And XVII. Of several other sorts of manures, as ashes, soap ashes, soot, rags, malt dust, and the several soils each sort of manure is best for.
The fifth book has 25 chapters, on
grains
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legumes ...
and
pulse crops, the roots, and
herbaceous plants
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
. The sixth book, of 21 chapters, treats on the animals, fowls, and insects that stock the farm. The seventh book, of three chapters, describes the pests of the farm, in four-footed and feathered beasts. The eighth book has five chapters on the uses of corn, and the making of malt. The four chapters of the ninth book treat on the small tools of work. The tenth book has four chapters on buildings and repairs. Book eleven treats on the different
trees
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...
in 21 chapters. The twelfth book, in 12 chapters, describes
coppice woods. The thirteenth book has two chapters on the plants of the kitchen garden. The fourteenth book has 21 chapters on fruit trees. The fifteenth book has five chapters on English
liquors, as ale,
cyder, and
fruit wines
Fruit wines are fermented alcoholic beverages made from a variety of base ingredients (other than grapes); they may also have additional flavors taken from fruits, flowers, and herbs. This definition is sometimes broadened to include any alcoholi ...
.
About
agricultural lime
Agricultural lime, also called aglime, agricultural limestone, garden lime or liming, is a soil additive made from pulverized limestone or chalk. The primary active component is calcium carbonate. Additional chemicals vary depending on the mineral ...
, Mortimer prescribed, that it had to be used at the rate of 160 bushels to an acre, and laid in cinders in a bushel to a pole square, covered with earth, and spread when dissolved—but better in being carried hot on the land. It makes corn grow with a thin bark, and does not last above five years. Forty bushels or soot were sown by hand on an acre, and produced a mighty sweet grass. The
spade
A spade is a tool primarily for digging consisting of a long handle and blade, typically with the blade narrower and flatter than the common shovel. Early spades were made of riven wood or of animal bones (often shoulder blades). After the a ...
is figured for paring land to be burned, and is the same used in the 19th century.
Turnips
The turnip or white turnip (''Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. The word ''turnip'' is a compound of ''turn'' as in turned/rounded on a lathe and ' ...
are sown in broad cast on finely fallowed lands, in midsummer, and afford food for sheep,
cows
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...
, and fattening cattle into the month of March. The crop is a great help to dry barren lands, and will grow on almost any ground—the fly and
caterpillar often destroy them. The crop is thinned by twice hoeing, at an expense of 4s. to 9s. an acre, or in daily wages in that time of fourteen-pence. Stubble turnips were sown at this time of the cultivation of the plant.
On farm animal Mortimer spoke of:
* A bull, which should have a sharp quick countenance, forehead broad and curled, eyes black and large, horns long, neck fleshy, belly long and large, hair smooth like velvet, breast big, back straight and flat, buttocks square, thighs round, legs straight, joints short.
* The cow ought to have a broad forehead, black eyes, clean great horns, neck long and thin, large deep belly, thick thighs, round legs, short joints; white, large, deep udder, having four teats, and the feet large.
* Of sheep, he says, the ram must have a large, long body, forehead broad, round, and well rising, eyes cheerful and large, nostrils short and straight. The ewe must have the neck large and upright, bending like a horse's, back broad, buttocks round, tail thick, legs small and short, clean, and nimble, wool thick and deep, covering all the body; gums must be red, teeth white and even, brisket skinned, eye-strings ruddy, felt loose, wool fast, breath sweet, the feet not hot. Fat pastures are said to produce straight tall sheep, and hills and short pastures breed square ones; woods and mountains yield small and slender sheep. The observations are very judicious on the breeding and management of sheep, and differ little from the modern practice. It appears that many sheep were then rotted.
In 1854
Donaldson concluded that the accompanied "Farmer's Calendar," in directions of monthly work, would do credit to any modern publication. Mortimer also gave an account on rent, stating according to Donaldson, that but "few farms will afford the generally allowed increase of three rents; one for the landlord, one for charges, and the third for the tenant. A farm of 100 acres, let at £1 per acre, may be maintained for the charge of £100 yearly; but if let for £50 a year the charges will be more than double the rent; or there must be the quantity of 200 acres of land in the farm."
Legacy
The British ''
The Complete Farmer: Or, a General Dictionary of Husbandry'' by members of the Royal Society, first published from 1756 to 1768, considered John Mortimer among the foremost agriculturists of that time. The 3rd edition of ''The Complete Farmer'' (1777) even listed Mortimer in the subtitle of this work among other foremost authorities, such as
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...
,
Louis François Henri de Menon,
Hugh Plat
Sir Hugh Plat (1552–1608) was an English writer on agriculture and inventor, known from his works ''The Jewell House of Art and Nature'' (1594) and his major work on gardening ''Floraes Paradise'' (1608).
Biography
Hugh Plat was born in the ...
,
John Evelyn
John Evelyn (31 October 162027 February 1706) was an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, who is now best known as a diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society.
John Evelyn's diary, or ...
,
John Worlidge
John Worlidge or John Woolridge (1640–1700) was a noted English agriculturalist, who lived in Petersfield, Hampshire, England. He was considered a great expert on rural affairs, and one of the first British agriculturalists to discuss the import ...
,
Jethro Tull,
William Ellis,
Philip Miller
Philip Miller FRS (1691 – 18 December 1771) was an English botanist and gardener of Scottish descent. Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden for nearly 50 years from 1722, and wrote the highly popular ''The Gardeners Dicti ...
,
Thomas Hale, Edward Lisle, Roque,
John Mills
Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portra ...
, and
Arthur Young.
By the end of the 18th century Mortimer authority faded. The 3rd edition (1777) of ''The Complete Farmer'' still mentioned Mortimer as reference over 50 times, but in 4th edition (1793) just over a dozen times. In his 1825 ''An encyclopædia of agriculture,''
John Claudius Loudon
John Claudius Loudon (8 April 1783 – 14 December 1843) was a Scottish botanist, garden designer and author. He was the first to use the term arboretum in writing to refer to a garden of plants, especially trees, collected for the purpose of ...
confirmed Mortimer's authority in the 18th century, stating:
:"In England, from the restoration to the middle of the eighteenth century, very little improvement took place, either in the cultivation of the soil, or in the management of live stock. Even clover and turnips (the great support of the present improved system of agriculture) were confined to a few districts, and at the close of this period were scarcely cultivated at all by common farmers in the northern parts of the island. From the ''Whole Art of Husbandry'', published by Mortimer in 1706, a work of considerable merit, it does not appear that any improvement was made on his practices till near the end of last century. In those districts where clover and rye-grass were cultivated, they were cut green, and used for soiling as at present. Turnips were sown broadcast, hand hoed, and used for feeding sheep and cattle, as they were used in Houghton's time, and are still in most districts of England.
Donaldson in his 1854 ''Agricultural Biography,'' credited both Mortimer and John Mills for being the first authors, who wrote on agriculture, presenting all the branches of the art within the compass of one work.
[ John Donaldson.]
John Mills, F.R.S.
. in: ''Agricultural Biography'', 1854, p. 51 John Mills succeeded, according to Donaldson, while "Worlidge began the attempt, but failed in the comprehension required."
Samuel Austin Allibone
Samuel Austin Allibone (April 17, 1816 – September 2, 1889) was an American author, editor, and bibliographer.
Biography
Samuel Austin Allibone was born in 1816 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a descendant of French Huguenots and Quakers, and t ...
. ''A Critical Dictionary of English Literature, and British and American Authors, Living and Deceased, from the Earliest Accounts to the Middle of the Nineteenth Century,'' Vol. 2, p. 1289.
Selected publications
* John Mortimer. ''Some Considerations concerning the present State of Religion, with some Essays towards our Love and Union'', London, 1702.
* John Mortimer. ''Advice to Parents, or Rules for the Education of Children'', London, 1704.
* John Mortimer.
The whole Art of Husbandry, in the way of Managing and Improving of Land'' London, 1707.
Notes
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mortimer, John
1656 births
1736 deaths
English merchants
English agriculturalists
Fellows of the Royal Society
People from Hatfield Peverel