Jethro Tull

Agricultural pioneer who devised and constructed the horse-drawn seed drill. Lived in Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire.

Link with the Chilterns

Lived in Crowmarsh Gifford, Oxfordshire

Born

30th March 1674

Died

21st February 1741

Biography

Jethro Tull was born in Basildon in Berkshire and after studying at Oxford he trained as a barrister.

Tull farmed at Howbery Farm, Crowmarsh Gifford near Wallingford (now marked with a blue plaque on 16-19 The Street, Crowmarsh Gifford), and there in 1701 he devised and constructed the horse-drawn seed drill, enabling crops to be sown efficiently in rows, which was much more productive than the previous method where the seeds were broadcast (scattered) by hand. His design was partly inspired by instruments such as the organ.

He and his family later moved to Prosperous Farm near Hungerford. He published a book on his innovations called Horse-hoeing Husbandry in 1731.

He is buried at his birthplace, just across the Thames in Basildon, where the North Wessex Downs AONB adjoins the Chilterns.

Further Information

Biography of Jethro Tull on Berkshire History website

Page in Historic Figures section of BBC website

Jethro Tull: his influence on mechanised agriculture by G E Fussell. Published in 1973 by Osprey Publishing.

Grid Reference

SU613894

What you can visit

The farmhouse where Jethro Tull lived is now marked with a blue plaque on 16-19 The Street, Crowmarsh Gifford.