Yorkshire Almanac Henry Best of Elmswell (Driffield) begins to harvest mixed grain, and gleaners wait in the wings

19 August 1641: Henry Best of Elmswell (Driffield) begins to harvest mixed grain, and gleaners wait in the wings

Henry Best. 1857. Rural Economy in Yorkshire, in 1641. Ed. Charles Best Robinson. Durham: Surtees Society. Get it:

Unedited excerpt

The excerpt in the book is shorter, edited and, where applicable, translated.

OF HARVEST WORKES, AND FIRST OF SHEARINGE.

Wee beganne to sheare massledine this 19th of August, beinge Thursday; those that sowe cleane rye beganne to sheare the 12th of August; wee made an ende of our massledine in fower dayes, and beganne to sheare wheate the 26th of August, beinge Thursday, 1641, which wee finished in two dayes. The best sort of men-shearers have usually 8d. a day, and are to meate themselfes; the best sorte of women-shearers have (most commonly) 6d. a day; yett if wee have any shearing-worke to doe after that wee are begunne to mowe, and chance to take of any men from mowinge to shear nge, wee are to give them mowers wages, viz.: 10d. a day, if they bee such as canne mowe; and, againe, if it bee att such a time when wee have others imployed aboute mowinge; otherwise wee shoulde doe them an injury, if wee shoulde take them from theire company, and not make them equall to those in wages whome they can equallize in worke.

Those that binde and stooke are likewise to have 8d. a day; for bindinge and stookinge of winter-corne is a man’s labour, and requireth as much and rather [more] ability and toyle then the other. Shearers tooles are onely sicles, unlesse the landes bee infeckted with thistles, and then both shearers and binders have neede to bee armed with gloves. A good shearer will sheare (constantly) 10 stookes of winter-corne in a day; yett 8 stookes (a peece) is as much as yow can well expeckt from ordinary shearers; allthough (on the other side) I have oftentimes heard of five shearers whoe have in one day shorne fower-score stookes. It is usuall for one man to binde and stooke after 6 or 8 shearers, and sometimes after 10, and I have knowne the man that hath bounde and stooked constantly after 13 shearers. I have knowne a dozen ordinary shearers sheare fower landes in a day, in the Demaine flatte that lyeth (in the Middle Fielde) betwixt Keldy-gate and the Spellowe-heads; for in fower dayes the said dozen shearers finished the saide flatte, and there is in it 14 through landes and two gares; one halfe of the said flatte beinge (that yeare) sowne with massledine and the other with cleane wheate. There was on this flatte 30 stookes on a lande, one with another; the best sort of sicles are 5d. a peece, the ordinary sorte are 3d. a peece; and in choosinge of a sicle, yow are to holde them against the light, and are to see that they bee well toothed; and if soe bee they wante noe teeth, yow neede not care howe small the teeth bee: yow are likewise to minde that they bee large, and well casten; and then for sharpinge and grindinge of them, yow are neaver to grinde them on that side the teeth are cutte on, but allwayes on the smooth side. Wee allowe the wives and children of those that worke with us to gleane, soe longe as wee are shearinge, and on the landes with them; but soe soone as shearinge is done, and wee fall to mowinge, wee suffer them to gleane noe more till such time as all bee ledde; wherefore our manner is, soe soone as all is shorne, to hire two to trayle the sweathrake, and gather that togeather to the stooke-sides which was scattered in shearinge. Wee neaver suffer any such to gleane as wee finde able, and unwillinge, to worke; and as for traylinge of the sweathrake, wee allwayes appointe those that wee finde most unfitte for other labor.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.