Agriculture

Sheep were developed for their wool and were only eaten as mutton after producing several lambs and fleeces. They were also milked and many of our famous cheeses were originally made from sheep’s milk. Lowland flocks were folded on roots which were followed by wheat. The "Golden Hoof" was the only way of providing fertility on farms before the days of artificial fertilisers. Dung was second in value only to wool, and to kill a lamb at 3 months old as we do today would have been unthinkable. (Kevin Holdway)

Sheep washing

In the process of preparing sheep for shearing, by swimming them in a pool to cleanse the wool, it was customary in the olden times to regard it somewhat as a festival by introducing cakes and ale. For many years it was the practice of one farmer of my acquaintance to take a large cooked chine for lunch to the "Wash”, the chine being always one placed on the bacon rack a year or two previously. St Mary Bourne was famous for its sheep washing pool having been used in the parish for over 300 years. As the Upper Test in dry seasons did not carry sufficient water through the village lying at a greater elevation than St. Mary Bourne, all the surrounding flock masters sent their fleeces to be cleaned at Bourne, where by penning back the burn or brook sufficient water was always obtainable. In wet seasons a "wash" was sometimes practicable in a meadow belonging to Mr. Thomas Miles, of Hurstbourne Tarrant. The pool at St. Mary Bourne was reached through a yard in the occupation of Mr George Neale; and the use of the yard was granted by the late Mr. John Longman, of Wadwick; but its use could not be claimed as a right. Dr. Joseph Stevens)

Sheep shearing

The sheep washing in May and June was followed by the shearing of the sheep in June and July, and as on all other occasions the ingatherings of produce were times of friendly greeting, so the period of shearing was regarded in early times as one for social meetings. Dinners were provided, and friends old and young were invited.

"Wife, make us a dinner, spare flesh neither corne,

Make wafers and cakes, for our sheepe must be shorne

At sheepe shearing, neighbours none other things crave,

But good cheere and welcome like neighbours to have"

Thus wrote Tusser, in his "Husbandry”, in the days of Queen Elizabeth.

The last to depart from the early custom in St. Mary Bourne was farmer John Moore. It was Mr. Moore’s practice to introduce in the shearing barn early in the day a savoury drink called "Spice bowl”, with cakes made for the occasion. For the last quarter of a century the habit of feeding the shearers in the house has been abandoned, the men being paid by the score for taking off the fleeces. The usual charge is 4s.6d. Per score, although prices differ in places. One may look back with some regret at the friendly feeling fostered by the social intercourse of the supper table.

The following is a list of the band of shearers at St. Mary Bourne in 1845

Thomas Medhurst Sen, Captain Joseph Fifield

William Medhurst Sen, Isaac Goodyear

Thomas Medhurst, William Bacon

Sons of Thomas Medhurst:

Henry Medhurst, Thomas Merryfield

John Medhurst, Isaac Parker

Nathaniel Medhurst, William Goodyear

William Medhurst, George Merryfield

Harvest Home

In early times "Harvest home" was a time of great rejoicing, and the last load was taken from the field amidst a scene of merriment. The best team of horses was selected, and decorated with ribbons; and the head boy occupied the seat of honour on the fore- horse also profusely decorated. The last load was never removed from the fields without the usual chorus of

"Well ploughed, well sowed,

Well reaped, well mowed

Nor a load overdrowed.

Hip, Hip, hurrah!

Harvest home!

After the clearing a harvest supper was given, at which all the labourers and neighbours met in friendly congratulations over the successful removal of the produce of the fields. Amidst the harmony of the evening it was customary for all to join in song of thanks to the master and mistress. The following is the form of rhyme usually heard in Hampshire.

"Here's a health unto our master the founder of the feast,

I hope to God with all my heart his soul in heaven may rest;

That all his works may prosper that ever he takes in hand,

For we are all his servants, and all at his command;

Then drink, boys, drink, and mind that you do not spill,

For if you do, you shall drink two, with a hearty free goodwill".

Chorus-----drink boys, drink, etc

And now we've drunk our master’s health our missis shan't go free,

For I hope and trust her soul will rest in heaven as well as he;

For she's a good provider, whatever she takes in hand,

For we are all her servants, and all at her command;

Then drink boys, drink, and mind that you do not spill,

For if you do, you shall drink two, with a hearty free goodwill.

Chorus------drink, boys, drink, etc.

The words "you shall drink two", in the last line, refers to the drinking a second cup as a fine, in the event any of the liquor spilled in taking the first mug.

The line "Nor a load overdrowed" refers to the overthrowing of a load of corn during the harvest. Dr. Stevens writes " I was once present at what was termed a "Booting" Which was a sort of punishment for the overthrowing of a load of corn during the harvest, at the harvest supper during the evening, the delinquent was laid face downwards on the table and one of the leaders of the festival administered some blows with one of the masters boots, while holding the boot at a peculiar manner. As a physical chastisement it was of no account; but was probably intended as degradation in the face of the blunderer's fellow workers." (Dr. Joseph Stevens)

Farmers dress

1787 The ordinary dress of the farmer of the period consisted of breeches and "bams", and overall on week days a smock frock or "slop”. On Sundays the better class farmers wore "Kersey" breeches, and frilled shirts were in use among the yeomanry, with "bams" and buckled shoes. "Bams" bore the various titles of "Vams", "Vamps", "Vamlets" and "Vamplets". All the various articles of clothing were made at home or obtained from local centres. Thus broad-cloths, shalloons and many other everyday articles were made at Andover. Worsted yarns were spun in villages. Alton had a large export trade in tabinets, barracans, serges, and white yarns. Druggets and shalloons were an industry at Basingstoke. Romsey at one time employed 200 looms; and at Whitchurch was a centre for serges and silk, the latter being manufactured there at the present day. Odiham and Alresford had similar home industries; and Overton worked a silk factory in 1791.

The chief resident tradesmen in the eighteenth century were the Tailor, Carpenter, commonly called Wheelwright, Blacksmith, and the Harness or Collar maker locally known as "Colly maker". (Dr. Joseph Stevens)

Items from a bill of John Hall, a collar maker, dated 1780

The Hurdler

A surviving industry of an individualistic type is the hurdlers. All around are nut copses or broad nut-borders to fields, where the bushes grow to a considerable height, requiring periodical cutting down. When this takes place about every 12-13yrs. the hurdler pays for the right to cut and use the hazel brush wood. What is not suitable for hurdles he gathers together in bundles for sale for other purposes.

A good hurdler will make up to 12 hurdles a day.

The hurdler works alone in the woodlands throughout the lengthening days of spring and early summer, his is a solitude in which for hours day after day his only companions are the birds and the wild creatures of the wood, the violets, anemones and primrose, the bluebells and bugles, and tradition tells that he becomes different from other men, slow, silent and melancholic. There are only few who take up his profession, yet there are always some. To them surely, in their loneliness the solitude and beauty speak with a voice unheard by those who merely go through the woods and pass on. (Kathleen Innes)

Hampshire Advertiser and Guardian Saturday April 4th 1846.

Wages In Hants.

Condition And Wages Paid To Agricultural Labourers In Hants.

Whitchurch . - At Whitchurch, we find most of the labourers employed at wages varying from 9s.to12s. per week; the few not at work were idle, dissolute characters.

Hurstbourne Prior.- Here Mr. Moody, of Apsley Farm, Mr. John Poor, Chapman’s – Ford Farm, and Mr. Dowling, New Barn Farm, also bailiff to the Earl of Portsmouth, Hurstbourne Park, were given 9s. per week to married labourers,1s.per day to single men, 6d.per day to women and girls weeding, and from 4d. to 6d. to boys holding and driving ploughs.

At Woodcote, the wages are but 8s. per week generally, except in two or three instances. The head carter and shepherd receive 1s. or 2s. per week more. Mr. George Wedge has two farms at Upper Woodcote, and Mr. William Freemantle has one farm at Lower Woodcote; their farms are large, might be better cultivated by employing double the number of labourers, and profit the occupiers to a much greater extent than they receive at the present time.

St. Mary Bourne – a very extensive parish—the land, some of it is good, and in a high state of cultivation; turnips in abundance, sheep by thousands eating them off, and yet the farmers complain all will not be consumed before the latter end of May; and what to do with the turnips they know not, unless they plough them in. The wheat is turned a little yellow from the late frosty nights about here, but yet not so as to produce injury to the crops. We found Mr. John Herbert occupying a farm here; Mr. John Moore, two farms; Mrs. Longman, one Mr. William Dowling, Link Farm; Mr. William Longman, Wick Farm; Mr. Thomas Longman two, Middle Wick and Lower Wick Farms; and Mr. Hooper, Dunley Farm. Here the standing wages generally are but 8s. per week for married men; 4s. and 5s. ditto for single men; women and girls, 6d.per day; boys, 4d. and 6d. per day; rent of cottages, from £2 to £3 per year; little or no garden to the cottages, and no allotments. It is only within the last fortnight or three weeks that single men, boys, or women, could find employment; now many are weeding; though at so small a pittance, they express their thankfulness, as it adds to their husbands earnings, and enables them to live better, getting two or three pounds of meat on a Sunday, which for five months past they have never tasted. Bread, greens, and potatoes, have been their only food. Here the potatoes were half rotted by the disease: they are now selling at 6s. per sack—a price too great for farmers labourers to give. The farmers have it in contemplation to raise the labourer’s wages next week 1s. and we are informed, in more than one place, “the paper had done it.”

Binley, parish of St.Mary Bourne. —Mr. Vincent, Mr. Thomas Longman, and Mr. Thomas Piper, have farms, and give the same scale of wages as at St. Mary Bourne; rent of cottages the same, though more wretched in appearance. Here were women and girls badly clad, some with round dirty smock frocks, such as ploughmen generally wear. Stoke.— Also in the parish of St. Mary Bourne. The poor even worse off here, as the farmers employ fewer labourers; not many single men, women, or boys here found at work. The children are half naked and of sickly countenance, as if they had not tasted food for days. Mr. John Herbert, Mr. Isaac Holdway and Mr. Robert Holdway have farms, and who, it is said, talk of giving their men 1s. per week more next week, and employ some women at 6d. per. day. We trust it will not be talk only.

Hurstbourne Tarrant—A large pleasant village, much rich and highly cultivated land, particularly on the farms of R.E.Bunney, esq. and Mr. Joseph Blount, who are giving good wages, not less than 10s. per week – to some more; enabling their labourers to do a fair day’s work for a fair day’s wages. Beer is sometimes given by these gentlemen to their men when found industrious. We heard also of Mr.T.Miles having a farm here, and Mr. William Smith ditto, who have raised the wages of their labourers, for the last three weeks, from 8s. to 9s. per week, - yet we were hurt to here Mr. William Child is still reluctant to follow in their steps of mercy and justice, by his only paying 8s. per week. Rents of cottages here are very high, 40s. to £6 per annum, little or no garden to any of them, and no allotment. Some young men get work in the woods, about here, in the winter and spring, which reduces the number out of employ. We found a considerable number of women, girls, and boys picking up turnips, receiving from 4d. to 6d. per day; very few potatoes left.

Ripton.—Mr. Thomas Gerish has two farms, Mr. Joseph Allen one, and Mr. A. Poor one. Here they have not followed the good example of their brother farmers at Hurstbourne, but still pay the miserable sum of 8s. per week to a married man, with families of four, and eight children. Mr. Gerish is here the leader—what he dictates the others follow; it is therefore hoped his heart will be tempered with humanity, and suffer his fellow beings to have better means of existence than at present.

Faccombe and Netherton.—Mr. Clarkson has one farm, Mr. Vines ditto, Mr. James Willis ditto, (Cimner Farm), Mr. Thomas Tubb ditto, (700 acres), and the Rev. William Lance a farm of some extent. The wages here are but from 8s. to 9s. principally 8s. for married men, single ditto 5s. plough boys 2s. 6d. to 3s.; women 6d. per day. A few are now employed picking up turnips and weeding. During this last winter they state some families have almost famished; have, at least, from 1s. to 1s. 6d. each to pay for rent for cottages.

Vernham.—A considerable parish with good farms and land, if properly cultivated, sufficient to give employment to double the number of labourers now engaged, and produce crops in the same proportion. Farms are held by Mr. William Hillier, Mr. William Child, (two farms), Mr. Thomas Miles, Mr. Thomas Herriott, Mr. Horne, Mrs. Harriet Dyke, Mr. James Farmer (two farms), and Mr. Charles Tew. Nearly the whole of the above named are only paying 8s. per week. Two or three blame Mr. Blount for paying his men not less than 10s.making other labourers dissatisfied, as they express themselves.

Hatherton, -- Mr. Young, Mr. Chandler, and Mr.Herbert, are the farmers here, and but 8s. is the standard wages; rent of cottages, 1s.6d. per week out of that sum; very few young men, women, or boys, employed. One of the above named farmers gave his labourers some oats to thrash at 1s. 2d. per quarter, as he asked for work by the piece; the man took it at that starvation price, and after labouring from day light till night found one quarter the utmost he could thrash per day, or 7s. per week. Such is the weakness, through want, of the agricultural labourers generally, that they cannot now do half the labour as when they had a sufficiency of food, therefore the farmers suffer as their labourers pine!.

Enham, -- Here Mr. George Fry, Mr. William Munday, Mr. Biggs, and Mr. Guyatt, are the farmers. It was pleasing to hear the high character given of Mr. William Munday; he has not a labourer on his farm to whom he is giving less than 10s. per week, some 12s. raising their wages when the price of bread rises. He is generally giving 1s. per week more than the other farmers, and employs nearly double the quantity on the same breadth of land, setting to work single men at the same wages, if good workmen, employing also many women, girls, and boys, at from 6d. to 1s. per day, giving away milk, broken victuals, and beer occasionally. The other farmers give 9s. per week; rent of cottages £3 per year; twenty lugs of land to each cottage paying an extra 5s. rent. Captain Prouse, Enham House, when at home is a good friend of the poor in the neighbourhood.

Wildhern.—Mr. Dowling, of Foscott Farm, and Mr. Stephen Holdway, are farmers here. The wages given are 8s. except in one or two instances. A few women are employed at 6d. per day; rent of cottages, £3 per annum; the families of the labourers very destitute. The Rev. Dr. Kilner wishes us to state that Mrs. Stackpole, of Clanville, is giving 9s. per week to her labourers, and other benefits. Pyke Skrivener, esq. Rambridge Cottage, Clanville, has also requested us to make known that some of the poor in Clanville are only paying 4d. per week rent for their cottages, being parish cottages; and that the authorities of the parish sell coals to the poor in the winter at 1s. 3d. per cwt. Namely 3d. per cwt. Less than cost price.

	£	S	D
For a day’s work	0	1	0
For 1 pr.of plow trasses	0	2	6
May 29 for a barell of tar(*means paid on 28th)	0	6	0
Sept 28 for 1 day’s work	0	1	0
For half a hide of leather	0	5	0
For tand leather for one buckle	0	1	6
For 6 lind houlter rayns	0	3	0
Mar 27 for 1 hemp houlter	0	0	7
For a calfs houlter with spikes	0	1	9
For 2 new colers	0	5	0
For 2 large flee nets	0	4	6
Sep 14 for new pr of plow trasses	0	3	0
For 3 pounds of pitch	0	0	9
For 6 Pd of ridle	0	0	6
For three quarts of oyl	0	3	0
Owing for a calf skin	0	3	6