Name/TitleWeekly Timesheet Record

About this objectOne of 7 handwritten time sheets with wage details concerning Sugar Beet hoeing, June 1952.

These sheets pertaining to sugar beet hoeing are exceptionally relevant to the area with the first sugar beet processing factory being built at Lavenham in Suffolk in 1860.

This factory actually failed due to lack of government support and it was not until the mid-1920’s that sugar beet was grown on a large scale in the United Kingdom. At this time 17 processing factories were built, following war-time shortages of imported cane sugar.

In addition to this, the industry was helped greatly by the British Sugar Beet Society (formed in 1915) which was formed in order to achieve government financing. In 1927 they succeeded. By the time that these timesheets were made in 1952, sugar beet hoeing was a secure job and the industry was fully subsidized.

Now, sugar beet hoeing is done entirely mechanically using a special tractor that removes their tops with flails and knives called scalpers.

Medium and MaterialsPaper

MeasurementsHeight: 69mm
Width: 84mm

Object numberSTMEA:2007-34e

Copyright LicenceAttribution - Non-commercial (cc)