Driffield Show sheds light on past

A rare book, which dates from 1794 and is held at the East Riding Archives, shows what farming was like in East Yorkshire at the time of the agricultural revolution – and there were many more sheep than there are today.

A photocopy of the book will be on hand in the East Riding Council’s marquee at the show next Wednesday.

Much of the Yorkshire Wolds, now dedicated to arable farming, was devoted to rearing sheep.

It was considered so important that the tome, titled General View Of The Agriculture Of The East Riding, says the only fields which should be ploughed up were for growing turnips – to feed sheep.

A brief note also shows that 60 years before the first official Driffield Show, the market town was already holding the only annual show of its kind in the area.

The show, it said, “excites an emulation, and not only considerably promotes the improvement of the breed of stock, but affords the uninformed an opportunity of seeing such as are deemed good, and of hearing the sentiments of men eminent in the line of breeding.”