Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

The difference between straw that is laid on dry, and straw that is laid on wet, is that the wet straw couches better, and beds closer. Haver [oat] straw is said to be as tough and lasting, and to wear as well on houses as either wheat or rye straw, but only that vermin will not let it alone. The only way to prevent this is to lie it where it may be well wroten [rooted] amongst with swine and beasts, but especially with swine, for beasts’ dung among it. After this, get it well watered, and there is no danger. In summertime we always dess [pile up in layers] and water our straw, but in winter we only throw it out, and the rains and wet that falls are sufficient without any watering. This year we threw out all our barley straw that was threshed between the time we got it in and the 17th of November, and by this means the swine wrought in it, and got good by it, and the straw was well wet. Then on the 18th of November, when the thatcher came, we did no more but set one of the threshers with a fork to shake up all the best of it, and lie it on a heap together, and then set one to draw it out immediately, and it was very good thatch.

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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.

Abbreviations:

• ER: East Riding
• GM: Greater Manchester
• NR: North Riding
• NY: North Yorkshire
• SY: South Yorkshire
• WR: West Riding
• WY: West Yorkshire

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Original

OF THATCHINGE.

The difference betwixt strawe that is layd on dry, and strawe that is layd on wette, is that the wette strawe coucheth better, and beddes closer. Haver strawe is sayd to bee as tough and lastinge, and to weare as well on houses as eyther wheate or rye strawe, but onely that vermine will not lette it alone; whearefore the onely way to prevent this is to lye it wheare it may bee well wroten amongst with swine and beasts, but especially with swyne, for beasts dounge amongst it; and after this gette it well watered, and there is no dainger; and thus shoulde yow doe with any strawe whatsoever, otherwise the birdes will not lett it alone. In summer-time wee allwayes desse and water our strawe, but in winter wee onely throwe it out, and the raines and wette that falls are sufficient without any wateringe; for (this yeare) wee threwe out all our barley strawe that was threshed betwixt that time wee gotte all in and the 17th of November, and by this meanes the swyne wrought in it, and gotte good by it, and the strawe was well wette; and then on the 18th of November, when the thatcher came, wee did noe more but sette one of the threshers with a forke to shake up all the best of it, and lye it on an heape togeather, and then sette one to drawe it out immediately, and it was very good thatch this was afore the beasts weare taken into the standheckes, whearefore the strawe was throwne out into the foreyard. They that drawe thatch have usually dry haver-strawe lyinge by them, whereon to make theire bandes for theire bottles. In summer-time wee usually fetch clottes out of the field to make morter on, but in winter wee eyther shoole up son e dirte togeather, in some such place as is free from gravle and stones, or otherwise wee digge downe some olde clay or mudde-wall that is of noe use, or else grave up some earth, and water it, and tewe it. Morter neaver doeth well unlesse it bee well wrought in, viz.; except it bee well watered and tewed; and it is accounted soe much the better if it bee watered over night, and have nights time to steepe in. In makinge of morter, yow are first to breake the earth very small, and with your spade to throwe out all the stones yow can finde, and then to water it and tewe it well, till it bee soe soft that it will allmost runne; then lette it stande a while till the water sattle somethinge from it, and it will bee very good morter. They that make the morter have allwayes by them an olde spade to tewe it with, and a little two gallon skeele to fetch water in, and two olde scuttles to carry up morter in, viz. ; one for the server, and another for the thacker-drawer, if occasion soe require; and theire manner is to putte an handfull or two of dry-strawe into the bottomes of the scuttles to keepe the scuttles cleane, and that the morter may goe readily out and not cleave to the scuttles. They have also an olde halter, or a peece of an olde broken teather for carryinge up of theire bottles, and they tye togeather and carry up constantly three bottles att a time. A thatcher hath usually to folkes to waite on him, viz.; one to drawe out the thatch and make it into bottles, and the other to make morter and serve him; unlesse it bee when they come to morter the rigge of an howse, and then the thacke-drawer giveth over drawinge, and worketh amongst the morter, and filleth the scuttles as the thatcher throweth them downe; and the other doth nothinge but carry up to the toppe. Our thatchers have constantly 4d. a day (winter and summer) and theire meate; they come to worke (aboute Allhallowtide) by that time they can well see aboute them in the morninge, and they leave not worke att night soe longe as they can see to doe anythinge; they give over theire trade usually aboute Martynmasse, or soone after, soe as frostes and colde wette weather beginne to come in; for it is an occupation that will not gette a man heate in a frosty morninge, sittinge on the toppe of an house where the winde commeth to him on every side, and besides it is as ill for the thacke-drawers. Wheare one ladder is not long enough, there the thatchers will tye two or three one to the toppe of another, and when they sette one ladder on the toppe of another, they have usually two traces to tye them togeather with. The thatcher standeth on the side of the house beside the ladder, when the ladder is to bee remooved, and remooveth the toppe or uppermost ladder as his man remooveth the roote or lowe ladder; and the breadth that the thatcher taketh up with him, all att a time, afore the ladder bee remooved, that is called the course; for they will say that hee wanteth soe many course to such a place, or soe many course to the ende of the howse; and this is aboute halfe a yard, or more than a foote.

900 words.

Tags

Tags are assigned inclusively on the basis of an entry’s original text and any comment. You may find this confusing if you only read an entry excerpt.

• Best, Henry (approx. 1592-1645) (16) ·
• Cattle (26) ·
• East Riding of Yorkshire (66) ·
• 📌Elmswell, East Riding of Yorkshire (19) ·
• Oat (2) ·
• Pig (11) ·
• Rye (7) ·
• Sheep (27) ·
• Thatching (1) ·
• Wheat (14) ·
• Yorkshire Wolds (23) ·

All tags.

Similar

• 3 May 1641: On the day of the discovery of the True Cross, Driffield folk start moving their livestock out of town to high summer pasture, endangering crops
• 20 February 1582: Part of the household inventory made on the death of farmer Richard Best of Elmswell, including his homebrew kit
• 6 November 1628: Henry Best agrees rates with threshers at Elmswell (Driffield)
• 4 November 1641: Henry Best of Elmswell (Driffield) boils tar and pitch to mark his sheep
• 19 August 1641: Henry Best of Elmswell (Driffield) begins to harvest mixed grain, and gleaners wait in the wings
• 21 May 1641: Six corn-wains from villages east of Driffield pass slowly through Elmswell on their way to Malton
• 9 May 1641: Sheepwashing preparatory to shearing at Elmswell (Driffield)
• 7 July 1641: Henry Best of Elmswell (Driffield) starts haymaking
• 11 May 1641: William Simpson of Little Driffield takes a break from threshing to shear Henry Best’s sheep at Elmswell
• 6 June 1641: Under a waning gibbous moon, armed with a penknife and sticky-willy unguent, a shepherd castrates Henry Best’s lambs at Elmswell (Driffield)