Agricultural History Review, Volume 38 Part 1 (1990), pp. 72–78

James Warne farmed near Wool, between Dorchester and Wareham in Dorset. His was evidently a medium-sized farm, combining dairying with some arable, and Warne kept a diary which has survived for only the one year, 1758. The unusual detail of the diary throws a good deal of light on his farming activities, including visits to local markets and his frequent concern that the best use should be made of his wagons and teams. Most interesting, perhaps, are the casual manner in which he hired his farmworkers and the problems he experienced in disciplining them. Warne's periodical lending and borrowing of money also provides confirmation of the importance of the local network for private financial transactions which was available to the rural community before the full development of the banking system. 

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