| Admin History | Nathaniel Kent was born in 1737 in Penton Mewsey, Hampshire, the younger son of Ambrose and Mary Kent. Having worked as a secretary for Admiral Geary at Portsmouth, Kent left for Brussels to act as secretary for Sir James Porter. It was there that Kent studied the Flemish farming methods which were to later influence his writings and his own farming methodologies.
Kent returned to England in 1766, where he managed the property of Thomas Anson, MP for Lichfield, having been persuaded by Sir John Cust, Speaker for the House of Commons, and Anson, to become an agricultural advisor. In 1775, Kent published his influential work, 'Hints to Gentlemen of Landed Property', still in publication today. In this work he recommended the implementation of drainage, and of Flemish eight-course and Norfolk six-course crop rotation.
Kent saw much success as an agricultural advisor, running a land agency from 1793 with two business partners. In 1791 he was eventually given the role of managing Windsor Great Park and Richmond Park. In six years, he had created 2 farms from 14000 acres of Windsor Great Park land, one run using Flemish methods and the other Norfolk.
In 1808, Kent was given a silver goblet by the Norfolk Agricultural Society in recognition to his services of agriculture.
Kent was reputedly married to Miss Ann Powell in 1766, and certainly to Miss Armine North in 1783. He apparently had a total of six children. Kent died in 1810. |