1754-1842. English pioneer and promoter of
the improvements associated with the
Agricultural Revolution. His innovations
included regular manuring of the soil, the
cultivation of fodder crops in association
with corn, and the drilling of wheat and
turnips. He also developed a fine flock of
Southdown sheep at Holkham, Norfolk, which
were superior to the native Norfolks, and
encouraged his farm tenants to do likewise.
These ideas attracted attention at the annual
sheep shearings, an early form of
agricultural show, which Coke held on his
home farm from 1776. By the end of the
century these had become major events, with
many visitors coming to see and discuss new
stock, crops, and equipment.