There are 3 excellent articles on the ubiquitous agricultural labourer (ag lab) written by English historians.  The first is "The Agricultural Labourer” by Peter Talbot-Ashby, where he describes in detail conditions of life in rural England from the early 18th Century.

The second article is by Mark Baker entitled "Aspects of the Life of the Wiltshire Agricultural Labourer, c.1850" and as indicated by the title describes the conditions in Wiltshire, but could also apply to other parts of rural England, especially the southern counties.

The third article also contains background to the ag lab in Wiltshire but concentrates on conditions leading up to emigration with details of the ill-fated emigrant ship Marion.