Talks by Antony Pemberton, David Knott and Jo Sear
The meeting held on 19 February 2026 included two presentations. Antony Pemberton and David Knott from the Trumpington Farm Company talked about the changes to farming that have taken place over the past 75 years, and Jo Sear talked about the ‘Coprolite Rush’, with particular reference to Trumpington. The meeting was chaired by Howard Slatter.
Antony Pemberton was due to celebrate his 84th birthday the following week, having lived through the greatest changes in farming ever through the past 75 years. His interest in the farm started at about the age of seven going to Manor Farm, Grantchester, playing in the farmyard and then leading carthorses during harvest. After graduating from Trinity College in 1963, he spent ten weeks as the night shift foreman running the pea harvest. After six months as a farm pupil in Hampshire, at the tender age of 22 he took over from the Farm Manager in June 1964 with two experienced farm foremen looking after 1200 acres. He has also been involved in many agricultural activities away from the farm including The Royal Agricultural Show, The Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth, the Plant Breeding Institute and Rothamsted Agricultural Research Station.
David Knott. General Manager, Trumpington Farm Company, has served in this role for the past 14 years. He is the current steward of an estate that sits at the intersection of Cambridgeshire’s rich agricultural past and its innovative future. While David’s personal leadership at Trumpington spans over a decade of rapid technological and environmental change, his perspective is informed by the deeper history of the land. He manages a diverse portfolio that balances modern arable production with deep-seated conservation efforts, ensuring the estate remains a productive and beautiful part of the local landscape.
Jo Sear is a late medieval historian with a particular interest in local history, so that her interest in coprolite mining might appear to be somewhat surprising. However, this interest came about because her ancestors include the Whitechurch family who, until the beginning of the twentieth century, held land in and around nearby Harlton for many years. The Whitechurchs’ were heavily involved in coprolite mining and she has uncovered a number of family records relating to the industry.