{"id":5326,"date":"2012-04-29T23:30:11","date_gmt":"2012-04-30T03:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chesterton.org\/?page_id=5326"},"modified":"2018-11-16T23:22:37","modified_gmt":"2018-11-17T05:22:37","slug":"3-acres-and-a-cow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chesterton.org\/store\/3-acres-and-a-cow\/","title":{"rendered":"Origin of 3 Acres and a Cow"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>QUESTION:\u00a0<\/strong><em>Could you let me know the origin of Chesterton&#8217;s famous &#8220;3 acres and a cow&#8221; slogan, please?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>ANSWER:<\/strong> The slogan &#8220;three acres and a cow&#8221; dates back to the 1880s and was usually associated with Jesse Collings, a Devonshire MP and radical agrarian who promoted small holdings and land allocations. Collings became known derisively as &#8220;Three Acres and a Cow Collings.&#8221; The coining of the actual phrase has long been attributed to Joseph Chamberlain, a Cabinet Minister in the 1880s who promoted land reform. However, the American Chesterton Society has recently learned that the quotation was first used by Eli Hamshire, a rustic philosopher who lived in the village of Ewhurst in Surrey, England. Hamshire used the phrase in letters written to Chamberlain and Collings in the early 1880s. He was the author of two short books, and he actually farmed three acres as had his father before him. An account of his life can be found in the book, <em>Three Acres and a Cow: The Life and Works of Eli Hamshire<\/em>, written by David Stemp, the great-great-grandson of Hamshire.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase continued to be associated with the &#8220;Back to the Land&#8221; movement after the turn of the century, and eventually with Chesterton&#8217;s Distributists in the 1920s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>QUESTION:\u00a0Could you let me know the origin of Chesterton&#8217;s famous &#8220;3 acres and a cow&#8221; slogan, please? ANSWER: The slogan &#8220;three acres and a cow&#8221; dates back to the 1880s and was usually associated with Jesse Collings, a Devonshire MP and radical agrarian who promoted small holdings and land allocations. Collings became known derisively as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"right-sidebar","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[139],"tags":[100,977],"class_list":["post-5326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-frequently-asked-questions","tag-books-distributism","tag-faq"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Origin of 3 Acres and a Cow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn where the slogan of the distributists, &quot;3 Acres and a Cow,&quot; came from.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chesterton.org\/store\/3-acres-and-a-cow\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Origin of 3 Acres and a Cow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn where the slogan of the distributists, &quot;3 Acres and a Cow,&quot; came from.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.chesterton.org\/store\/3-acres-and-a-cow\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Store | Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanChestertonSociety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-04-30T03:30:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-11-17T05:22:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ted &amp; Rachel Schluenderfritz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ted &amp; Rachel Schluenderfritz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/3-acres-and-a-cow\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/3-acres-and-a-cow\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ted &amp; Rachel Schluenderfritz\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e0605aed23beca7c76b87929f073df6a\"},\"headline\":\"Origin of 3 Acres and a Cow\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-04-30T03:30:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-17T05:22:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/3-acres-and-a-cow\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":215,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Distributism\",\"FAQ\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Frequently Asked Questions\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/3-acres-and-a-cow\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/3-acres-and-a-cow\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/3-acres-and-a-cow\\\/\",\"name\":\"Origin of 3 Acres and a Cow\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-04-30T03:30:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-17T05:22:37+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn where the slogan of the distributists, \\\"3 Acres and a Cow,\\\" came from.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/3-acres-and-a-cow\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/3-acres-and-a-cow\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/3-acres-and-a-cow\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Origin of 3 Acres and a Cow\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/\",\"name\":\"Store | Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton\",\"description\":\"Apostolate of Common Sense\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"American Chesterton Society\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/cropped-Chesterton_Seal_Navy-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/cropped-Chesterton_Seal_Navy-1.png\",\"width\":\"1181\",\"height\":\"1174\",\"caption\":\"American Chesterton Society\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/AmericanChestertonSociety\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/AmChestertonSoc\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chesterton.org\\\/store\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e0605aed23beca7c76b87929f073df6a\",\"name\":\"Ted &amp; 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