Jethro Tull (agriculturist)

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Jethro Tull
Born Jethro Tull
1674
Basildon, Berkshire, England
Died 20 March 1740(1740-03-20) (aged 65)
Hungerford, Berkshire, England
Resting place
 St Bartholomew's Church, Lower Basildon, Berkshire, England
Residence Berkshire, England
Nationality English
Known for Agricultural reforms and inventions, such as the seed drill & horse-drawn hoe

Jethro Tull (1674 – 21 February 1741) was an English agricultural pioneer from Berkshire who helped bring about the British Agricultural Revolution. He perfected a horse-drawn seed drill in 1701 that economically sowed the seeds in neat rows, and later a horse-drawn hoe. Tull's methods were adopted by many large landowners, and they helped form the basis of modern agriculture. The progressive rock band Jethro Tull was named after him.[2]

Life, achievements

Tull was born in Basildon, Berkshire,[3][4][5][6] to Jethro Tull, Sr. and his wife Dorothy, née Buckeridge or Buckridge. He was baptised there on 30 March 1674. He grew up in Bradfield, Berkshire and matriculated at St John's College, Oxford at the age of 17, but appears not to have taken a degree. He was later educated at Gray's Inn.

He married Susanna Smith of Burton Dassett, Warwickshire. They settled on his father's farm at Howberry, near Crowmarsh Gifford, where they had a son and two daughters.

Jethro Tull's Seed drill,
(Horse-hoeing husbandry,
4th edition, 1762[1])

Tull became ill with a pulmonary disorder and travelled to Europe in search of a cure. In his travels, he found himself seeking more knowledge of agriculture. Influenced by the early Age of Enlightenment, he is considered to be one of the early proponents of a scientific (and especially empirical) approach to agriculture. He helped transform agricultural practices by inventing or improving numerous implements.

Death

Tull's gravestone in St Bartholomew's churchyard, Lower Basildon, Berkshire, England

Tull died in 1741 at Prosperous's Farm at Hungerford. He is buried in the churchyard of St Bartholomew's Church, Lower Basildon, Berkshire, near to his birthplace. His gravestone bears the burial date 9 March 1740 using the Old Style calendar, which is equivalent to the modern day date of 20 March 1740.

References

  1. ↑ Horse-hoeing husbandry; 4th edition; 1762; Tull, Jethro, 1674-1741; Adams, John, 1735-1826, former owner; (Boston Public Library)
  2. ↑ "FAQ on official Jethro Tull web site". Retrieved 21 March 2009. 
  3. ↑ Royal Berkshire History: Jethro Tull
  4. ↑ BBC History: Jethro Tull (1674–1741)
  5. ↑ Blue plaque to Jethro Tull in Crowmarsh Gifford
  6. ↑ Ancestry of Jethro Tull by William Addams Reitwiesner

Further reading

External links

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