Agricultural History Review, Volume 70 Part 1 (2022), p. 141

This directory is the second volume in the Electronic Series of the Scottish Record Society and as such they are available as electronic books only, provided as searchable PDF documents through the Record Society’s online partner TannerRitchie. Heather Holmes starts her introduction to the directory by reviewing similar directories and compilations of data from England and Wales, which contain some Scottish material. She then identifies four broad groups of evidence, namely: trade directories, the agricultural press, catalogues of archives, and the records of the Royal Highland Show. The latter was the key event for exhibiting agricultural implements and machinery across Scotland, thereby encouraging their development. The use of newspapers has provided a rich source of information through the advertisements placed, reports of agricultural shows, accounts of machine trials, as well as articles referring to specific businesses. Using this material, Holmes presents some evidence to show that local manufacturers were developing implements to meet the local agricultural conditions.

The entries in the directory itself are described using up to 15 headings, but all entries have a minimum of three headings, those being the name of the business, the date(s) of activity and the sources of evidence. The extent of the entries depends on the size of each business and the evidence available.

Having explained the sources used to produce the directory, a survey of agricultural implements and machine makers is then presented, drawing out the key information from the data in the directory. An initial analysis considers the characteristics of makers’ activities, the involvement of family members in businesses, the geographical distribution and the size of the business. The development of the industry and its reputation beyond Scotland is then considered before looking at the growth over time in the use of agents selling implements on behalf of one or more of the manufacturers. The survey ends with the identification of a number of themes running throughout the book.

Whilst the period covered by this volume is from 1843 to 1914, the editor does not explicitly state why 1843 was chosen as the start date: rather, the reader is left to note that this was the date of the first agricultural newspaper in Scotland, the Ayrshire Agriculturalist, and that a complete run of this title, and its successor the North British Agriculturalist, is available from 1843 to 1914.

This directory of Scottish agricultural implement and machine makers represents a magnum opus in terms of its production and content. Its usefulness has already been confirmed by this reviewer, who has used it to enhance his own research on English farms. Whilst a wide range of sources has been used to assemble the directory, Heather Holmes recognizes that there are other sources which have not yet been used. Its delivery in electronic format means that revised versions can be made available in the future, without the need for another print run.