A case study of corn sales: Harston Manor’s corn book 1823-1842

Abstract

We analyse the Corn Book from Harston Manor in Cambridgeshire, containing data on wheat sold from the harvests of 1823-42. Annual sales averaged 1000 Bushels. Wheat was sold throughout the year, necessitating considerable intra-year storage; almost a quarter of sales took place one year or more after harvest, generating significant inter-year storage (carryover). New and old wheat exhibit no systematic price differential. Most sales were to a single miller in Harston, leaving little rôle for corn merchants. Observed trades and prices are thus likely characterised by a strategic and cooperative relationship between farmer and miller, rather than a spot market.