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National Farm Survey

During the Second World War, every farm or similar holding of five acres or more was surveyed. Owners, occupiers and the state of cultivation are all detailed. Those details are there for you now.

When the Second World War began in September 1939, Britain was faced with the urgent need to increase the production of food. Every productive area was assessed. As soon as war broke out, food imports were drastically cut. A ploughing-up campaign soon commenced and large expanses of land (some that had not seen the plough since medieval or even prehistoric times) were prepared for cultivation.

In June 1940, a farm survey was initiated with the purpose of further increasing food production. Farms were graded in terms of their productive state: A, B or C. These categories related more to the physical condition of the land than to the managerial efficiency (or otherwise) of the farmer. Nevertheless, it was also vital to assess the ability of each farmer to play his part in the national food production plan. In cases of gross inefficiency or dereliction, land was placed under government control and labour organised accordingly. Between June 1940 and the early months of 1941 some 85% of the agricultural area was surveyed - all but the smallest farms.

Once the short-term objective of increasing food production had been met, thought was given to implementing a more general National Farm Survey with a longer-term purpose of providing data that would form the basis of post-war planning. Contemporary press releases issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries included historical notes on the original Domesday Survey and on other land surveys that had been carried out over the centuries.

Every farm and holding of five acres and more was to be surveyed, including those of market gardeners, horticulturists, and poultry-keepers. Holdings of one to five acres, representing less than 1% of the total area of crops and grass, were subject to a separate survey. The National Farm Survey was begun in the Spring of 1941 and largely completed by the end of 1943. It was undertaken largely by experienced, practical farmers who visited and inspected each farm and interviewed the farmer.

Both the individual farm records of the National Farm Survey, 1941-1943, and the maps, which serve as a graphic index to the farms, are held at The National Archives (TNA). The individual farm record is made up of four forms. Three, dated 4 June 1941, were completed by the farmer himself: one showing details of small fruit, vegetables, and stocks of hay and straw; the second, agricultural land; and the third showing labour, motive power, rent, and length of occupancy. The fourth form was the Farm Survey, the 'primary survey' that was obtained in the field by inspection and interview.

One of the most controversial parts of the Survey, and the one for which the Survey is often remembered, lies under section D of the Primary Farm Survey, 'Management'. It was here that the recorder had to classify the farm as A, B, or C (performing well, fairly, or badly), and if B or C and due to 'personal failings', he was also obliged to supply additional details. Of the 300,000 farms and holdings classified by the Survey, 58% were A, 37% B, and 5% C.

In addition to the forms, maps of the farms were produced showing their boundaries and the fields contained in them. At best, which is rare, each farm is identified by different colour washes - sometimes a full wash over the whole area of the farm but often just the boundaries highlighted.

As a source for local and family historians, the records of the National Farm Survey are of great value. For the historical geographer, these records present an enormous database of land ownership and land usage in mid twentieth century Britain.


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