Yorkshire Almanac Henry Best of Elmswell (Driffield) lays his wagons up for the winter

5 November 1641: Henry Best of Elmswell (Driffield) lays his wagons up for the winter

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

Unedited excerpt

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FOR KEEPINGE OF WAINES AND COUPES FROM WETTE.

Soe soone as harvest is in, our stubble led and stackes thatched, the first lette weather or vacant time that commeth, wee fetch up a payre of oxen, and sette our servants to runne the waines under the helmes: and first of all they knocke off the shelvinges, and putte the shelvinges, and loade-pinnes, and pikestowers, of everie waine into her body; then doe they shoole and carry away the dirte cleane from under the helmes; then doe they putte on the oxen, and bringe the waines close to the ende of the helme, and there doe they dresse and make cleane the wheeles with a spade, before they runne them in, then doe they runne the first three waines in backewards with their arses first, soe that the hoppinge tree of the first standeth under the body of the seconde, and the hoppinge-tree of the seconde under the body of the third, then the fowerth and last waine wee runne her in with her nose first, bearinge her up and runninge her hoppinge tree into the body of the waine that standeth next her; then doe wee lift up the wheeles, and underpropp each wheele before and behinde with good bigge stones, to keepe them from the moysture and dampnesse of the earth ; then doe wee take of the wheeles of our two carts, and sette them close up by the bodyes of the waines, and the carts themselfes wee sette them with theire bodyes sidewayes, and lette them stande upon the axletree, and leane against the side of the waines; then doe wee fetch all our longe ladders, and putte them within the braces on the inside of the helme: wee runne our wheele barrowes allsoe under the bodyes of the waines. The longe helme in the stack-garth will just serve for fower waines, and under this helme doe wee lye the bodyes or wheeles of our two carts; our longe styes lye allsoe under this helme all winter, and likewise our wheele barrowes. The helme in the foregarth will doe somethinge more then shelter three waines, and under this doe wee usually thrust in our three coupes. Our folkes weare (this yeare) imployed aboute this businesse on Powder treason day.

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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.