About my work

R.J. Glass

researches aspects of the agricultural history of nineteenth century East Anglia and shares the results in text, maps, graphs and talks.

Research

My research at the University of Suffolk focuses on the associating activities of farmers and allied trades in the middle decades of the nineteenth century. Of particular interest are the methods employed by tenant farmers' groups to gather, disseminated, and in some cases create, the new scientific agricultural knowledge. This research supports a doctoral thesis investigating the purposes, activities and outcomes of some remarkably popular local farmer's clubs which flourished between 1840 and 1850. I can offer custom research services tailored to your specific interests and needs, for example a particular event, parish, occupation, or family name

Presentations

Talks address the agricultural history and geography of nineteenth century Suffolk and East Anglia. Of particular interest are the activities of the farmer's clubs of the 1840s and their members.

Forthcoming.

BAHS Annual Conference April 24th 2025-Memberships of 1840s Suffolk Farmer's Clubs.

Previous.

Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History-High Hopes and High Farming in Suffolk

British Agricultural History Society-Suffolk Farm developments in the 1840s, see text below

University College Suffolk-Rationalisation of Farms Buildings and Fields in Mid Nineteenth Century Suffolk

Anglia Polytechnic University-Changing Rural Landscapes

Historic Farm Buildings Group-Suffolk Farm Buildings and High Farming

Writing

Published works.

Sources in the history of nineteenth century Suffolk agriculture. Suffolk Review August 2024. See text here Published Articles ,map and key here Maps

Farm developments in Nineteenth Century Suffolk. Rural History Today (BAHS) 2005 issue 9. See text here Published Articles

Current Projects

1-To investigate the socio-economic profile of mid nineteenth century farmer's clubs through analysis of membership lists. This will use terms related to tenure type and extent, occupation type and status.

2-To analyse the phenomena which was farmer's clubs in Suffolk 1830 to 1850, in particular the origins, purposes, and activities of these forms of rural association, in the context of agricultural, scientific and social change.

Location

R.J. Glass

Dpt. of History and Humanities

University of Suffolk

Ipswich

rglass2@uos.ac.uk

Contact me...

with your enquiries about collaboration, research, writing, and talks. I look forward to hearing from you and generally you can expect a reply the same day.

Type here

Editorial comment about Sources in the History of Nineteenth Century Suffolk Agriculture by R.J. Glass. Suffolk Review August 2024.

Suffolk Review, the journal of the Suffolk Local History Council, ed. Dr. Nicholas Sign.

"Local history journals such as the Suffolk Review depend on the continuous supply of well-written and properly researched articles by willing contributors. They in turn must be equipped with knowledge about their chosen line of enquiry, which in turn requires awareness of possible sources of information. To find the sources required researchers often rely on compilations or digests of publications and documents. With these considerations in mind, the first article in this edition is different from our usual offerings in a very important way. In his opening paragraph about sources for farming in Suffolk during the nineteenth century Richard Glass explains that 'previous compilations of this nature have become unavailable, superseded, or both.' Hence his decision to produce a thoroughly up-dated guide to this important aspect of our county's history, which I expect will prove to be a most valuable tool and I hope will inspire more articles for future editions of this journal."

Visit the British Agricultural History Society

for a wide range of digitised sources

at Register an account | LIBRAL

Richard John Glass

is a practising historical geographer based in Suffolk, UK, conducting research into the farms, farmers and farmer's clubs of nineteenth century Suffolk towards a PhD at the University of Suffolk, through research, writing, and presentations.

A BA at Cambridge College of Arts and Technology was followed by the Cambridge University PGCE and the Open University MA. For 25 years Richard taught Sociology, Geography and History in UK schools, colleges and universities.