136 The Nineteenth Century (/S/j -

so much material for more imaginative studies, in his portrayal
of a century of development in Nottingham.855

Although agriculture remained the leading industry almost
to the end of the century, the shifting centre of gravity leaves
its mark on the work of historians. Thompson, who believes in
yet another agricultural revolution,856 nevertheless is forced
to conclude in his general analysis of all matters agrarian that
things were going downhill.857 Spring, confining himself to the
large estates and describing rather than analysing, also cannot
escape a certain elegiac air.858 The only technical problem
that seems to have been studied is that of the corn laws, a
theme in which political and economic matters link almost
beyond hope of disentanglement. By studying farming
methods, Moore arrives at the conclusion that in a changed
situation the repeal of the laws offered landlords the best of
opportunities.859 Fairlie, on the other hand, starting from the
world production of wheat, argues that Peel's government be-
came convinced that in the foreseeable circumstances a main-
tenance of the laws would result in a grave shortage of bread.860
Possibly those three articles complement one another; to me
they seem to be in contradiction. Admittedly, the landlords
themselves were far from clear about the situation.861

855 Roy A. Church, Economic and Social Change in a Midland Town:
Victorian Nottingham, 1815-1900. L: Cass: 1966. Pp. xxiv, 409.
Rev: EcHR* 22, i5if.

856 F. M. L. Thompson, 'The second agricultural revolution, 1815 -
1880*, EcHR* 21 (1968), 62-77.

857 F. M. L. Thompson, English Landed Society in the Nineteenth Century. L:
Routledge: 1963. Pp. xii, 374. Rev: EHR 80,428f.; EcHR* 17, 1466°.

858 David Spring, The English Landed Estate in the Nineteenth Century:
its administration. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP: 1963. Pp. vii,
216. Rev: EHR Bo, 633^; Agric. Hist. Rev. 13, S^ff. - Idem, "The
role of the aristocracy in the late nineteenth century', VS 4
(1960- i), 55-64.

86» D. €L Moore, 'The corn laws and high farming', EcHR* 18
(1965-6), 544-61.

8*e Susan Fairlie, 'The igth century corn laws reconsidered*, EeHR*
18 (1965-6), 562-75; *The corn laws and British wheat produc-
tion*, ibid. 22 (1969), 88-116.

8** John T. Ward, 'West Riding landowners and the corn laws',
EHR 81 (1966), 256-72.