Board of Agriculture (1793–1822)

[4] Founded by Royal Charter on 23 August 1793 as the Board or Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture and Internal Improvement, it was dissolved in June 1822.

Though its founders hoped the board would become a department of state it was never more than a private society which spread useful knowledge and encouraged improvements in farming.

The president was Sir John Sinclair and the secretary was Arthur Young; it was given an annual parliamentary grant of £3,000.

[5] Sinclair's initial idea was for a parish-by-parish survey in England, along the lines of his Statistical Account of Scotland.

The government grant was withdrawn in 1820; after two years the shortage of funds from private subscriptions led to its dissolution.