Generating Vector Data and Statistics from the Stamp survey

1. Generating Vector Data and Statistics from the Stamp survey Brian Baily and Humphrey Southall(Department of Geography,University of Portsmouth)

2. Structure of presentation: • Published and unpublished maps of the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain • How accurate was the LUSGB? • Generating Quantitative Data from the LUSGB: • Scanning • Geo-rectification • Classification • Vectorisation • Research funded by: • Environment Agency • DEFRA • Frederick Soddy Trust

3. LUSGB One Inch sheets • Published using 9 different printers, so significant variation

4. LUSGB unpublished maps of upland Scotland • 56 sheets covering upland Scotland never published due to lack of funds, although survey work fully complete • Water-colour versions deposited with RGS • Individually signed-off by Stamp

5. LUSGB 10 mile to the inch summary sheets • Use slightly simplified classification

6. LUSGB Colour separations • Held by LSE library • Survive only for 20 sheets, and the southern national summary sheet • Sample shows light green layer, i.e. pasture • Very easy to computerise

7. Digitising the Land Utilisation Survey • Project in 2004 funded by Environment Agency and DEFRA scanned and geo-referenced all published sheets • Greatly assisted by map librarians around Britain • Additional project in 2005 funded by Soddy Trust added unpublished Scottish sheets • Whole LUSGB finally published! • All now available on Vision of Britain web site: • www.VisionOfBritain.org.uk

8. How accurate could the Stamp survey be? • Carried out by schoolchildren • Instruction leaflet only 4 sides • Little discussion of defining either the urban fringe or the moorland fringe • And were the terms well-defined anyway? • "We have never been able to get a satisfactory dividing line and our definition has not in practice amounted to much more than saying that rough grazings are grazings that are not smooth" (Minute of 28/7/1941, in PRO MAF 38/211)

9. Land utilisation Survey 1931 Agricultural Census Arable Arable land Permanent grass Permanent Grass. For hay Permanent grass. Not for hay Orchards Forests and woodland Rough grazing Rough Grazings Houses with gardens Land agriculturally unproductive Comparing the LUSGB and the 1931 Farm Census

10. The 1930s in longer-term perspective Arable versus Permanent Grass from the Farm Census England and Wales Worcestershire

11. Comparison of total acreages:

12. Comparing Arable Land Cornwall

13. Mapping Arable Land

14. Comparing Permanent Pasture Cornwall

15. Comparing Rough Grazing Cornwall

16. From the Cornwall County Report • “It is clear that the Land Utilisation surveyors have included as arable only land under crops or newly laid down to grass; all other grassland has been recorded as permanent grass (including long-ley) whilst some neglected grass returned by farmers as “rough grazing” has also been included as grassland. The Survey’s total of rough grazing is nearly all true unenclosed moor, some of which escapes the agricultural returns.” (p. 465) • Farms within Cornwall typically “have 25-30% of their acreage under crops, and the remainder under long-ley or permanent grassland. This long-ley grassland, which may be under grass for from four to eight years, is typical of Cornwall as it is of many other counties on the west side of Great Britain” (p. 418) • It was not true that the surveyors were ill-trained children. Local volunteers only surveyed about a third of the county and “it became apparent that the survey could best by carried out by academically trained geographers” (p.465). Stamp was particularly keen on the correct representation of Cornwall as he was a part-time resident himself (p. 408)