The experience and wisdom of John White

The past was different, and not good - poverty, ill health, harsh legal system, lack of the vote… we don’t want to replicate it.

But it’s worth examining the past for lessons for today – that, after all, is the function of a museum.

There is a huge amount of theory on how businesses of all sorts can be made ‘sustainable’, so that they survive in hard times and prosper in good. We won't try to cover that here. But we know that nineteenth century farming, and other industries, suffered hard times, and there may well be lessons, at least points to ponder, from the experiences of those who have gone before.

So what can we learn from the records left by people like John White?

John White was a devout Christian. We may not share his faith, but it gave him a view of life and a set of principles that many will recognise.

• Fairness in business and personal dealings
• Consideration – of his workforce, his family and his friends
• Support to others, especially those less fortunate than himself.
• Look ahead – Mr White was a careful planner.
• But understand what’s happened and why – John White was a careful keeper of records.

John White worked hard, but was well off. He and his wife were generous benefactors, but they lived well, as middle-class Victorians.

How does their life compare to ours now?

• House servants – supporting their own families.
• Travel by train – but the railway didn’t go everywhere.
• Smart house – but water from a well, and no sewage system.
• Children at school – but not for everyone.
• Many complicated matters to manage – but only by letter.
• Very little by way of modern equipment.
• Medical knowledge still developing - and no NHS.

John White, as a farmer, was always conscious of the weather, and how it might affect him. It varied widely, of course, but until about 1873 it was pretty typical of our ‘maritime’ climate.

In 1873 it began to change, and for nearly twenty years was much harsher than it had been – wet, cold and stormy. This caused real problems and hardship for farmers all over the country.

At the same time produce began to be imported in new steam ships.

What comparison can we make with our modern, changing climate?

As part of the HARVEST project four postgraduate students from the University of Hertfordshire’s Business School have analysed data from John White’s records. Their work has identified several points that managers could perhaps draw on today.

1. Stay current - John White’s careful observation and monitoring of activities on the farm allowed him to react when the situation changed. He kept up to date with farming methods and adopted new technology when it made sense for his farm, such as steam engines and early artificial fertilizers.

2. Be cost and price aware – The diaries and accounts show a man who paid attention to money, and knew his market. His local networks and regular trips to Watford and other markets kept him in touch with what people were willing to pay. He was also keen to negotiate and make contracts that protected his income.

3. Diversifying to spread the risk – Like many 19^th century farmers John White produced both arable crops and livestock. When there was a poor harvest or prices fell, he was less at risk than if he only sold one product.

4. Invest, but with care. This was the era of ‘high farming’ – farmers with capital invested it in the business. But not all were ready when the downturn ruined their markets.

5. People management – John White employed people on the farm and in his house. The diaries and accounts showed that, for the time, he was a decent employer. He paid people fairly and kept them on when they did a good job, having first made sure they met his standards.

• If John White was farming today, how do you think he'd be doing it? Would he be an organic farmer?
• Why do you think Mr White travelled so much by train?
• People walked everywhere, even when they owned a horse. How much time in a week do you think was spent walking?
• How did nineteenth century farmers minimise ‘waste’?
• The long years of bad weather may have seemed like climate change. How did John White reduce their effect?

We are very grateful to Sundas Kamran, Daniel Odinka Anayochukwu, Thi Thu Trang Tran, Uzair Zameer, and to Dr Sue Davies and Dr Derek Ong, for their research and insight into the life and lessons of John White.

Project Harvest, in which their work was done, has been a co-creation project between the Three Rivers Museum and the University of Hertfordshire's Business School, fuinded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council's Impact Accelaration Awards.