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NLJ this week: Forgotten farm files hold key to land disputes

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18 July 2025
Issue: 8125 / Categories: Legal News , Expert Witness , Property , Landlord&tenant
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Overlooked wartime agricultural records can resolve modern land access disputes: Professor John Martin of the Museum of English Rural Life sheds light on this valuable but little used resource in this week's NLJ

He points to the National Farm Survey (1941–43) and War Agricultural Executive Committee (WAEC) files as rich sources of data on land use, ownership and farm conditions. These records, held at the National Archives and county record offices, offer detailed insights into land management and farmer competence—often missing from oral histories or modern documentation.

Martin urges legal professionals to explore these archives, including the Museum of English Rural Life’s collections and Dudley Stamp’s Land Utilisation maps. With many records now digitising, these sources could prove decisive in contentious cases. Despite their value, they remain underused.

Martin’s call is clear: dig into the archives—because the past may hold the answers to today’s land law puzzles.

Issue: 8125 / Categories: Legal News , Expert Witness , Property , Landlord&tenant
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