He supported his revolutionary new breeding techniques with grassland irrigation, flooding and fertilizing pasturelands to improve grazing. He taught these practices to many farmers, and in 1783 formed The Dishley Society to promote them and to advance the interests of livestock breeders. His apprentices and contemporaries, especially Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, used his methods to continue improvements to British livestock long after his death in October 1795.[1]
Sheep
Arguably the most influential of Bakewell's breeding programs was with sheep. Using native stock, he was able to quickly select for large, yet fine-boned sheep, with long, lustrous wool. The Lincoln Longwool was improved by Bakewell, and in turn the Lincoln was used to develop the subsequent breed, named the New (or Dishley) Leicester. It was hornless and had a square, meaty body with straight top lines.[3]
These sheep were exported widely, including to Australia and North America, and have contributed to numerous modern breeds, despite the fact that they fell quickly out of favour as market preferences in meat and textiles changed. Bloodlines of these original New Leicesters survive today as the English Leicester (or Leicester Longwool), which is primarily kept for wool production.
Cattle
He crossed long-horned heifers and a Westmoreland bull to eventually create the Dishley Longhorn. As more and more farmers followed his lead, farm animals increased dramatically in size and quality. In 1700, the average weight of a bull sold for slaughter was 370 pounds (168 kg). By 1786, that weight had more than doubled to 840 pounds (381 kg)[citation needed]. However, after his death, the Dishley Longhorn was replaced with short-horn versions.
Horses
Robert Bakewell bred the Improved Black Cart horse, which later became a Shire horse.[4]
Influence on Darwin
Selective breeding, which Charles Darwin described as artificial selection, was an inspiration for his theory of natural selection. In On the Origin of Species he cited Bakewell's work as demonstrating variation under domestication, in which methodical breeding during Bakewell's lifetime led to considerable modification of the forms and qualities of his cattle, and the unconscious production of two distinct strains when two flocks of Leicester sheep were kept by Mr. Buckley and Mr. Burgess, "purely bred from the original stock of Mr. Bakewell for upwards of fifty years"[5] with the unanticipated result that "the difference between the sheep possessed by these two gentlemen is so great that they have the appearance of being quite different varieties."[6]
New Dishley Society
The New Dishley Society has been created to promote the memory of Robert Bakewell and of his contemporaries and students of his methods.[7] The society aims to disseminate knowledge of his work and appreciation of his pioneering legacy in the breeding of improved farm livestock and better crop management. It supports research into the revolutionary agricultural techniques of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and into the men who developed these techniques.
Controversy
Bakewell's pioneering and extremely aggressive use of breeding in-and-in may have contributed to the spread of prionic diseases, such as scrapie, among livestock of the region.[8][9]
^Max, D. T. (2006). The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery. Random House. As soon as scrapie broke out in [Reverend Thomas] Comber's district and the surrounding areas, aristocrats pointed a finger at Bakewell and his breeding practices.
^Kelleher, Colm A. (2004). Brain Trust: The Hidden Connection Between Mad Cow and Misdiagnosed Alzheimer's Disease. Simon and Schuster. One of the best-known and earliest descriptions of the symptoms in sheep came from the Reverend Thomas Comber in England in 1772, ...
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Bakewell (agriculturalist).
Roger J Wood and Vítezslav Orel (2001). Genetic Prehistory in Selective Breeding A Prelude to Mendel. OUP. ISBN978-0-19-850584-6. Archived from the original on 2013-01-31.
Roger J Wood (1973). "Robert Bakewell Pioneer Animal Breeder and his influence on Charles Darwin" (PDF). Casopis Moravskeho (Musea Acta Musei Moraviae).
Bibliography
Young 1771, "Letter II", in The Farmer's Tour through the East of England , vol. I (London, 1771 ), p. 124
Young, A., 1776-1791 (1932): Tours in England and Wales. (Selected from the Annals of Agriculture), London School of Economics
Marshall 1790, The rural economy of the Midland counties (2 vols, London, 1790; vol1/vol2)
W. Redhead, R. Laing and W. Marshall jun., Observations on the different breeds of sheep, and the state of sheep farming in some of the principal counties of England (Edinburgh, 1792), pp. 33-39
John Lawrence, "Robert Bakewell", The Annual Necrology for 1797-8 ; including, also, various articles of neglected biography (London, 1800/1805) (note: final 2-3 pages omitted from Google Books scan of the 1800 edition)
Pitt 1809, A General View of the Agriculture of the County of Leicester. Richard Phillips, London.
J. Hunt, Agricultural memoirs; or history of the Dishley System. In answer to Sir John Saunders Sebright, Bart., M.P. (Nottingham, 1812), p. 119
Youatt 1834, Cattle: Their breeds, management, and diseases
George Culley & Robert Heaton 1804, Observations on live stock: containing hints for choosing and improving the best breeds of the most useful kinds of domestic animals
Darwin, Charles, 1842, "Sketch on Natural Selection"
Darwin, Charles, 1844, "On the tendency of species to form varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection"
Housman 1894, "Robert Bakewell", Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England
Pawson 1957, Robert Bakewell: Pioneer livestock breeder
Nicholas Russell 1986, Like Engend'ring Like: Heredity and Animal Breeding in Early Modern England
Hall & Clutton-Brock 1989, Two hundred years of British farm livestock
Pat Stanley 1995, Robert Bakewell and the Longhorn Breed of Cattle (ISBN0-85236-305-2)
Wykes 2004, "Robert Bakewell (1725-1795) of Dishley: farmer and livestock improver"
Wood & Orel 2005, "Scientific Breeding in Central Europe during the Early Nineteenth Century: Background to Mendel's Later Work", Journal of the History of Biology 38, p. 251
Cobb 2006, "Heredity before genetics: a history"
Wood, R. J. & Orel, V. Genetic Prehistory in Selective Breeding: a Prelude to Mendel (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2001)
Orel 1997, "Cloning, Inbreeding, and History", Quarterly Review of Biology 72:4 (December 1997), p. 437-440
Derry 2003, Bred for Perfection: Shorthorn Cattle, Collies, and Arabian Horses since 1800 (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003), p. 9
Harriet Ritvo, The Animal Estate (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987), p. 47
Anne Orde (ed.), Matthew Culley, George Culley: Travel Journals and Letters, 1765-1798 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 10
Trow-Smith, History of British livestock husbandry, p. 59
R. M. Hartwell, The Industrial Revolution and economic growth (1972), p. 332
August 23, 2023
robert, bakewell, agriculturalist, other, people, with, same, name, robert, bakewell, disambiguation, this, article, includes, list, general, references, lacks, sufficient, corresponding, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, mo. For other people with the same name see Robert Bakewell disambiguation This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations February 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message Robert Bakewell 23 May 1725 1 October 1795 was an English agriculturalist now recognized as one of the most important figures in the British Agricultural Revolution In addition to work in agronomy Bakewell is particularly notable as the first to implement systematic selective breeding of livestock His advancements not only led to specific improvements in sheep cattle and horses but contributed to general knowledge of artificial selection 1 Robert Bakewell Contents 1 Early life 1 1 Sheep 1 2 Cattle 1 3 Horses 2 Influence on Darwin 3 New Dishley Society 4 Controversy 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 BibliographyEarly life EditRobert Bakewell the second eldest son 2 was born on 23 May 1725 at Dishley Grange near Loughborough in Leicestershire As a young man he travelled extensively in Europe and Britain learning about other farming methods Others interested in his work included Prince Grigory Potemkin and Francois de la Rochefoucauld 1765 1848 He supported his revolutionary new breeding techniques with grassland irrigation flooding and fertilizing pasturelands to improve grazing He taught these practices to many farmers and in 1783 formed The Dishley Society to promote them and to advance the interests of livestock breeders His apprentices and contemporaries especially Thomas Coke 1st Earl of Leicester used his methods to continue improvements to British livestock long after his death in October 1795 1 Sheep Edit Arguably the most influential of Bakewell s breeding programs was with sheep Using native stock he was able to quickly select for large yet fine boned sheep with long lustrous wool The Lincoln Longwool was improved by Bakewell and in turn the Lincoln was used to develop the subsequent breed named the New or Dishley Leicester It was hornless and had a square meaty body with straight top lines 3 These sheep were exported widely including to Australia and North America and have contributed to numerous modern breeds despite the fact that they fell quickly out of favour as market preferences in meat and textiles changed Bloodlines of these original New Leicesters survive today as the English Leicester or Leicester Longwool which is primarily kept for wool production Cattle Edit He crossed long horned heifers and a Westmoreland bull to eventually create the Dishley Longhorn As more and more farmers followed his lead farm animals increased dramatically in size and quality In 1700 the average weight of a bull sold for slaughter was 370 pounds 168 kg By 1786 that weight had more than doubled to 840 pounds 381 kg citation needed However after his death the Dishley Longhorn was replaced with short horn versions Horses Edit Robert Bakewell bred the Improved Black Cart horse which later became a Shire horse 4 Influence on Darwin EditSelective breeding which Charles Darwin described as artificial selection was an inspiration for his theory of natural selection In On the Origin of Species he cited Bakewell s work as demonstrating variation under domestication in which methodical breeding during Bakewell s lifetime led to considerable modification of the forms and qualities of his cattle and the unconscious production of two distinct strains when two flocks of Leicester sheep were kept by Mr Buckley and Mr Burgess purely bred from the original stock of Mr Bakewell for upwards of fifty years 5 with the unanticipated result that the difference between the sheep possessed by these two gentlemen is so great that they have the appearance of being quite different varieties 6 New Dishley Society EditThe New Dishley Society has been created to promote the memory of Robert Bakewell and of his contemporaries and students of his methods 7 The society aims to disseminate knowledge of his work and appreciation of his pioneering legacy in the breeding of improved farm livestock and better crop management It supports research into the revolutionary agricultural techniques of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and into the men who developed these techniques Controversy EditBakewell s pioneering and extremely aggressive use of breeding in and in may have contributed to the spread of prionic diseases such as scrapie among livestock of the region 8 9 See also EditAgricultural science Arthur Young agriculturist Blocking statistics Notes Edit a b Chisholm 1911 gravestones of Bakewell family at Dishley church Robert Bakewell 1725 1795 BBC History Retrieved 20 July 2012 Angelique Shire Horse The Livestock Conservancy Retrieved 2022 02 02 Youatt W 1837 Sheep Their Breeds Maintenance and Diseases London Baldwin and Cradock p 315 quoted in On the Origin of Species p 30 Youatt 1837 p 315 The New Dishley Society Retrieved 13 June 2009 Max D T 2006 The Family That Couldn t Sleep A Medical Mystery Random House As soon as scrapie broke out in Reverend Thomas Comber s district and the surrounding areas aristocrats pointed a finger at Bakewell and his breeding practices Kelleher Colm A 2004 Brain Trust The Hidden Connection Between Mad Cow and Misdiagnosed Alzheimer s Disease Simon and Schuster One of the best known and earliest descriptions of the symptoms in sheep came from the Reverend Thomas Comber in England in 1772 References Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Bakewell agriculturalist Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Bakewell Robert agriculturist Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th ed Cambridge University Press Robert Bakewell 1725 1795 bbc co uk history BBC Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England Royal Agricultural Society of England 1894 de la Rochefoucauld Francois 1933 A Frenchman in England 1784 ed Jean Marchand CUP Ekarius Carol 2008 Storey s Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep Goats Cattle and Pigs Storey Publishing ISBN 978 1 60342 036 5 Roger J Wood and Vitezslav Orel 2001 Genetic Prehistory in Selective Breeding A Prelude to Mendel OUP ISBN 978 0 19 850584 6 Archived from the original on 2013 01 31 Roger J Wood 1973 Robert Bakewell Pioneer Animal Breeder and his influence on Charles Darwin PDF Casopis Moravskeho Musea Acta Musei Moraviae Bibliography EditYoung 1771 Letter II in The Farmer s Tour through the East of England vol I London 1771 p 124 Young A 1776 1791 1932 Tours in England and Wales Selected from the Annals of Agriculture London School of Economics Marshall 1790 The rural economy of the Midland counties 2 vols London 1790 vol1 vol2 W Redhead R Laing and W Marshall jun Observations on the different breeds of sheep and the state of sheep farming in some of the principal counties of England Edinburgh 1792 pp 33 39 John Lawrence Robert Bakewell The Annual Necrology for 1797 8 including also various articles of neglected biography London 1800 1805 note final 2 3 pages omitted from Google Books scan of the 1800 edition Pitt 1809 A General View of the Agriculture of the County of Leicester Richard Phillips London J Hunt Agricultural memoirs or history of the Dishley System In answer to Sir John Saunders Sebright Bart M P Nottingham 1812 p 119 Youatt 1834 Cattle Their breeds management and diseases George Culley amp Robert Heaton 1804 Observations on live stock containing hints for choosing and improving the best breeds of the most useful kinds of domestic animals Darwin Charles 1842 Sketch on Natural Selection Darwin Charles 1844 On the tendency of species to form varieties and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection Housman 1894 Robert Bakewell Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England Pawson 1957 Robert Bakewell Pioneer livestock breeder Nicholas Russell 1986 Like Engend ring Like Heredity and Animal Breeding in Early Modern England Hall amp Clutton Brock 1989 Two hundred years of British farm livestock Pat Stanley 1995 Robert Bakewell and the Longhorn Breed of Cattle ISBN 0 85236 305 2 Wykes 2004 Robert Bakewell 1725 1795 of Dishley farmer and livestock improver Wood amp Orel 2005 Scientific Breeding in Central Europe during the Early Nineteenth Century Background to Mendel s Later Work Journal of the History of Biology 38 p 251 Cobb 2006 Heredity before genetics a history Wood R J amp Orel V Genetic Prehistory in Selective Breeding a Prelude to Mendel Oxford Univ Press Oxford 2001 Schinto 2006 Good Breeding British Livestock Portraits 1780 1900 Gastronomica Summer 2006 Orel 1997 Cloning Inbreeding and History Quarterly Review of Biology 72 4 December 1997 p 437 440 Derry 2003 Bred for Perfection Shorthorn Cattle Collies and Arabian Horses since 1800 Baltimore MD Johns Hopkins University Press 2003 p 9 Harriet Ritvo The Animal Estate Cambridge MA Harvard University Press 1987 p 47 Anne Orde ed Matthew Culley George Culley Travel Journals and Letters 1765 1798 Oxford Oxford University Press 2002 p 10 Trow Smith History of British livestock husbandry p 59 R M Hartwell The Industrial Revolution and economic growth 1972 p 332 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Bakewell agriculturalist amp oldid 1163994239, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
