In the 1870s, farmers across Britain began to suffer from falling grain prices as imports started to flood in from the prairies of North America. As farmers struggled, demands for rent reductions mounted.
Cornwall was actually one of the places where rents declined far less than average. This can be explained by the extra competition for land from returning migrants and by the fact that Cornish farmers could switch more easily from arable to pastoral farming. For beef and dairy farmers lower process of grain (for fodder) was good news rather than bad. Nonetheless, some farmers were still in difficulty, as the following letter from Silvanus Jenkin, the Lanhydrock estate land agent, to Lord Robartes in December 1884 suggests.
I mentioned to you some time since that Mr Lean who occupies [Tregoid Farm at St Kew] had asked for a reduction of his rent and it was arranged that Mr Bate of Cardinham should go there and value. This he has done and practically values it in £100 a year. His present rent is £115. The courts begin tomorrow and I should be glad of your decision before the St Kew court which will be next week. Mr Lean also asked for an allowance for sheep which he lost in 1879 and for a horse that fell into a quarry. He is pretty much in arrears with his rent and I would suggest that you should give him £25 towards his losses and as it is a corn farm, I think it will be necessary to reduce the rent to £100 a year as recommended by Mr Bate. There is a very general feeling amongst the farmers that some general reduction of rent will have to be made but as far as I can judge in this county the necessity for it will not arise except as to corn farms at present
Cornish studies resources 