Cottage gardens and gardeners in the east of Scotland, 1750-1914 / Catherine Rice.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rice, Catherine (Local historian), author.

Series:

Garden and landscape history.

Garden and landscape history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cottage gardens--Scotland--History--18th century.

Cottage gardens.

Cottage gardens--Scotland--History--19th century.

Cottage gardens--Scotland--History--20th century.

Gardeners--Scotland--History--18th century.

Gardeners.

Gardeners--Scotland--History--19th century.

Gardeners--Scotland--History--20th century.

Working class--Scotland--History--18th century.

Working class.

Working class--Scotland--History--19th century.

Working class--Scotland--History--20th century.

Scotland--Social conditions.

Scotland.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xix, 286 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Woodbridge, Suffolk ; Rochester, NY : The Boydell Press, 2021.

Summary:

Much criticised as weed-infested, badly cultivated and disfigured by the dung heap before the cottage door, eighteenth-century cottage gardens produced only the most basic food crops. But the paradox is that Scottish professional gardeners at this time were highly prized and sought after all over the world. And by the eve of the First World War Scottish cottage gardeners were raising flowers, fruit and a wide range of vegetables, and celebrating their successes at innumerable flower shows. This book delves into the lives of farm servants, labourers, weavers, miners and other workers living in the countryside, to discover not only what vegetables, fruit and flowers they grew, and how they did it, but also how poverty, insecurity and long and arduous working days shaped their gardens. Workers' cottage gardens were also expected to comply with the needs of landowners, farmers and employers and with their expectations of the industrious cottager. But not all the gardens were muddy cabbage and potato patches and not all the gardeners were ignorant or unenthusiastic. The book also tells the stories of the keen gardeners who revelled in their pretty plots, raised prize exhibits for village shows and, in a few cases, found gardening to be a stepping-stone to scientific exploration.

Contents:

Front Cover

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

List of Abbreviations

Counties of the Eastern Lowlands Before 1975

A Note on Old Scottish Weights and Measures

Introduction

1 - The Changing Landscape

2 - Kailyards and Farm Servants

3 - Cottagers' Gardens

4 - Potato Grounds

5 - The Midden

6 - The Rural Diet

7 - Competitions and Shows

8 - The Cottage Gardener's Education

9 - The Idea of the Cottage Garden

Epilogue

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

Garden and Landscape History.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 07 Oct 2022).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-80010-417-0

1-80010-416-2

OCLC:

1283847941