In the 1700s, before the invention of the mechanical lawnmower in 1830, maintaining manicured green spaces was a purely pre-industrial undertaking. This monumental task required immense, continuous human or animal labor. The concept of a closely cropped lawn was a European luxury, maintained using specialized manual tools and the natural grazing habits of livestock.
The Scythe for Large Areas
The scythe was the primary tool for cutting large expanses of grass on estates and parklands. This long-handled implement, featuring a curved, sharp blade, was operated by a skilled worker, often called a “scythe man.” The mower used a rhythmic, sweeping motion involving their entire torso to maintain a consistent, long arc and cut the grass low to the ground. Mowing was typically done early when the grass was damp, as moisture made the stalks stand rigidly for a cleaner cut.
Achieving an efficient cut depended entirely on the blade’s sharpness, requiring constant maintenance. The edge was kept keen through two processes: peening and whetting. Peening involved cold-hammering the blade on a small anvil to thin the metal and reshape the cutting edge, a highly skilled and time-consuming task. Between sessions, the mower used a whetstone, often carried on their belt, to quickly hone the edge while working. This commitment to maintenance was integral to the quality of the final cut, as a dull blade would tear the grass rather than slice it cleanly.
Manual Finish Work and Detail
The scythe could not achieve the fine, short turf desired near a manor house or along garden edges. For this precision work, gardeners relied on secondary, hand-operated tools that demanded tedious labor. The most common tools were large, long-handled shears, sometimes adapted from sheep shears, and smaller hand shears resembling large scissors.
Shears were used to meticulously trim the grass to a very short length, especially on bowling greens or highly visible patches of lawn. Achieving a surface comparable to a modern lawn required the gardener to work on their hands and knees, clipping small sections at a time. For areas the scythe could not reach, such as around trees, walls, or ornaments, workers used a sickle or a grass hook. These curved, short-handled blades allowed for a controlled, close cut in tight corners.
Managing Grass with Livestock
For large, less formal expanses of grass, such as open parkland, the most cost-effective maintenance method was the use of grazing animals. Livestock, particularly sheep, acted as biological mowers, keeping the grass to a manageable length with minimal human intervention. Sheep were ideal because their grazing habits focus primarily on grass and low weeds, unlike goats, which browse on shrubs.
This method offered continuous, natural trimming and fertilization, as the animals deposited manure across the area. The trade-off was an uneven finish, as the animals did not graze uniformly and could not produce a perfectly smooth surface. Using sheep also required managing the animals, including fencing and shepherding. Despite these imperfections, this technique was widely employed to maintain the immense scale of the English landscape garden.
Why Lawns Existed
The presence of a large, maintained lawn in the 18th century was a profound demonstration of economic power and social standing, not merely an aesthetic choice. In an era where land was primarily agricultural, dedicating vast acreage to non-productive grass was a conspicuous display of wealth. It signaled that the landowner possessed enough property to remove land from food production purely for visual pleasure.
A manicured lawn also advertised the owner’s ability to sustain a large, dedicated labor force. The continuous, skilled work required by scythe men and trimmers represented a significant financial outlay affordable only to the gentry or aristocracy. Maintaining these green spaces required a constant rotation of gardeners and servants, highlighting the division between the wealthy few and the working classes who provided the labor. The lawn was an expensive, living billboard of the landowner’s status.