Traditional farming in Britain was better for the environment than modern agriculture. This seems self evident when modern agriculture is dependent on high mechanisation and agrochemicals.

But over and beyond that, our ancestors developed skills and practices that actually benefited the natural environment. Take for example the management of hedges.

Hedgerows are a very old way of identifying boundaries and in some cases may even be remnants of the wildwood from which early fields were carved out. They probably became common in the Bronze Age about 1000 years BC. A basic pattern of hedges and fields was established in Anglo-Saxon times about 1000 years ago and in some areas of Britain this pattern has changed very little. Across much of lowland Britain, medieval farming resulted in the creation of many large open fields after the Norman Conquest.

The enclosure of open medieval fields and common lands by the Enclosure Acts passed by Parliament mainly between 1720-1840, resulted in the planting of an estimated 200,000 miles of hedges and a division of the landscape into smaller fields." -- Woodland Trust

British hedgerows have been in decline since the Second World War due to the industrialisation of agriculture, but we still have around 300,000 miles of hedges, some of which are pockets of the ancient woodland which covered the country more than 500 years ago.

During the Winter until early Spring, farm labourers would work to maintain fences, hedges and stone walls. The traditional management of hedges, is known as hedgelaying.

Hedge laying developed as a way of making a stockproof barrier out of readily available material,that is, living woodland plants. Until the invention of wire, hedges were the only practical and cost-effective way for a farmer to enclose his stock in areas where walling stone was not to hand.

Hedge laying involves partially cutting through the living stems near ground level, and bending them over as 'pleachers'. They should lie close, like plates in a rack. Depending on the style of laying, the pleachers are anchored by stakes and binding to form a type of living fence." -- BTCV

This form of management had various benefits: keeping workers occupied in the winter, providing wood, providing a stock-proof barrier and enabling good growth of the hedgerow. In addition, it provided a habitat which was good for birds and insects so that the miles of hedgerow represent one of the most important wildlife reserves in the UK. In comparison, the widespread modern flailing is unsightly compared to the hand-laid hedge and it produces a poorer habitat.

This is a video of enthusiasts in a competition in the North of England to keep alive the skills.

 

Of course, it is important not to romanticize the life of the rural poor, which in reality was mostly back-breaking, boring or both. Housing and education was poor, with limited diet and life opportunities, so it is not surprising so many people left for the cities during the industrial revolution.

However, if Richard Heinberg and others are correct, our post-petroleum future will need agricultural systems quite different to those we have today. Perhaps then we will delve back into our history to rediscover more of the things we forgot to remember. If we were sensible, we would be energetically doing this now.