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Jethro Tull (agriculturist)

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Jethro Tull
Born
Jethro Tull

1674
Basildon, Berkshire, England
Died21 February 1741(1741-02-21) (aged 66)
Hungerford, Berkshire, England
Resting placeSt Bartholomew's Church, Lower Basildon, Berkshire, England
NationalityEnglisch
Known forAgricultural 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.[1]

Life, achievements

Tull was born in Basildon, Berkshire,[2][3][4][5] 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.

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 1740 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. (This date, reckoned in the Old Style, is equivalent to 20 March 1740 by the modern calendar.)

References

  1. ^ "FAQ on official Jethro Tull web site". Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  2. ^ Royal Berkshire History: Jethro Tull
  3. ^ BBC History: Jethro Tull (1674–1741)
  4. ^ Blue plaque to Jethro Tull in Crowmarsh Gifford
  5. ^ Ancestry of Jethro Tull by William Addams Reitwiesner

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jethro Tull (agriculturist).

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