By Elizabeth Stanforth-Sharpe, Yorkshire Magazine, No date
The Knepp Castle estate has been in
the hands of the Burrell family since 1787, with Sir Charles Burrell, the 10th
baronet, inheriting in 1987, at the age of 21. For 17 years, he and his wife, Isabella Tree, farmed the land intensively, employing fertilizers, pesticides, mechanical agriculture, and the use of antibiotics for livestock, just as he had been brought up to do.
But in 2000, they realized that the soil that had been exhausted with a cocktail of chemicals for many years wasn’t functioning as it should. Earthworms no longer played their part,
essential microbes had been killed, and crops were depleted. Along with many farmers, they were surviving on government subsidies, which, in turn, were being spent on more fertilizers and more pesticides, which perpetuated the damage being done. The land was no longer sustainable.
Alongside this, there was a growing
national concern that species of birds, butterflies, wildflowers, insects, and
mammals once prevalent in Britain were disappearing. Could there be a
connection between these losses and the state of the soil?
The Burrells began to feel
instinctively that there was.
“Revitalized”
They employed Ted Green, a leading
arboriculturist, to look at the ailing ancient oak trees on the estate, to
teach them how the mycorrhizal network had been damaged in the root systems
that spread directly underneath their arable crops, and, most importantly, how
they could begin to rectify the situation. Making the decision to change an
ancestral landscape that has been farmed in a particular way for over 200 years
is one that is loaded with doubts and guilt, and the day they auctioned off the
machinery and livestock equipment was so painful that Charlie Burrell couldn’t
bear to witness the proceedings, but deep in his heart he knew that this was
how it had to be.
Moving forward, the Burrells removed fences, introduced wild Exmoor ponies, Tamworth pigs, and ancient breeds of cattle, and tentatively watched to see how they would adapt to the seasons. After initial teething problems, they thrived.
The Burrell’s excitement as the soil revitalized, new species grew, and insects, mammals, and birds populated the habitat, was not always matched by the neighboring farms. They regarded the lack of controlled crops as the direct opposite of what farming should be about. They thought the estate was a disgrace, the Burrell’s were irresponsible, and the swathes of ragwort that had grown through were a poison threat to grazing animals. Public opinion was turning against them.
It was discouraging, but still they
pressed on, emboldened by the numerous chain reactions of the wilding process.
One such link was the wind distribution of willow seed. The rootling of the
pigs turned up damp, moist soil that was perfect for the willow seed to thrive
and grow. Willow is the food of the larvae of the Purple Emperor, one of the
rarest species of butterfly. Knepp became home to the largest population of
Purple Emperor in the country.
