But
the 'lawn' as a concept was not recognised until 1540, when the word
'laune' first appears in print. It is likely related to the Celtic
Brythonic word which means 'enclosure'. This hints at the origins of
a managed grass area – not, originally, a place of human recreation
but an area of pasture. At first, these areas were managed
occasionally, perhaps, with hand scythes but were mostly managed by
grazing livestock, which, through their eating, kept the grass short.
These were practical
areas in villages and on small farms rather than
the relaxation areas that we see today. Areas around castles were
also often kept tree-free to make it easier for watchmen to see
enemies approaching.
It
was not until the Middle Ages in northern Europe that a lawn more
similar to our modern concept of a lawn began to gain in popularity.
The majority of people living in the UK would use the curtilages of
their homes to grow their own fruit and vegetables, and have a
'common', or area of grassy land shared between them, to keep
livestock. Amongst the aristocracy, however, a more aesthetic concept
began to take off. Private, ornamental lawns began to be seen as part
of elaborate formal gardens and the idea of a 'lawn' began to
separate from the idea of a 'pasture' which had pretty much been
indistinguishable before that time. During the 16th
Century and thereafter, wealthy landowners used much of their
grassland for livestock but also had separate lawns around their
homes. Sometimes these were maintained by servants using hand
scythes, though were also often still grazed by livestock. Areas of
grass grazed regularly by rabbits, sheep or horses over a long period
develop a low, tight sward similar to that of a modern lawn.
The
lawn became a sign of wealth and privilege and became aspirational.
Before the invention of mowing machines in 1830, lawns were still
mostly elements of the homes of the wealthy or were on common grazing
ground. One influential example of a lawn similar to those found
today in garden design is the 'tapis vert' or 'green carpet' in the
gardens of Versailles. The gardens of Versailles were copied by many
wealthy landowners across Europe. Over the 17th
and 18th
Centuries, the 'English' lawn was born, as a place for the rich to
walk and socialise.
The
invention of the lawn mower by Edwin Beard Budding in 1830 made it
possible for the middle classes to maintain areas of lawn around
their own homes. Lawns really began to take off in the 19th
and early 20th
Century and the rise of the suburbs greatly contributed to the spread
of the lawn. Increased wealth also meant that a disconnect crept in
between people and their food and far fewer people grew their own.
Lawns, over time, became less a status symbol and more about
aesthetics. Lawns
came, over the 20th
Century, to represent a whole host of cultural and societal norms.
Today, lawns are using greater amounts of chemical fertiliser and pesticides per acre than cultivated farmland. Many are rejecting the widespread use of the lawn and advocating a return to gardens devoted to growing and a more sustainable way of managing grassland. So while a lower maintenance lawn can sequester carbon, gardeners are increasingly realising that there are better alternatives to the manicured lawn.