Power and innovation: Lanarkshire agricultural implement and machine makers in the nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries

ABSTRACT Lanarkshire led in the manufacture of agricultural implements and machines from the late eighteenth century onwards. Helped by natural resources, the early and rapid rise of industrialization and infrastructure, businesses created innovative products that were in demand. This paper investigates the makers of agricultural implements and machines in Lanarkshire, especially outside Glasgow, as innovators and leaders in the trade. It looks at their character, why they were innovative and the implements and machines they were renowned for. Although activity began from the late-eighteenth century, the primary focus is on the mid-nineteenth to the early-twentieth century.