Farming around Aberaeron The hardship of the majority of country folk at the start of the 19th century is hard for us to imagine. The only comparison today would be to watch a documentary of rural communities in India or Nepal. Most farmers and small-holders were tenants of wealthy local gentry and were little better off than slaves in reality. Sometimes the crop would fail and near famine conditions would ensue. Small wonder that thousands of men, women and children left the country to work in the mines of south Wales or emigrated farther afield to England and the United States. The new harbour at Aberaeron helped farmers trade further afield and buy in much needed lime to improve local soil. Later the situation improved further with the coming of the Aberaeron railway as fresh produce could be sent to the towns and cities of south Wales and England. The breakup of the country estates around 1900 saw many farmers become owners of their own lands and generally their lot continued to improve throughout the 20th century, with advent of sophisticated machinery and farms becoming larger to improve profitability. © Carwyn Evans |
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