Fiue hundred pointes of good husbandrie
553 persons employed in the first year; in the second, 520; and in a
third, 538; yet the annual number of acres, of all sorts of corn, did
not much exceed 200. From this prodigious number of hands, the whole
business must have been soon finished. There were probably 2 principal
days; for two large parties were hired, every year, for 1 day each....
These ancient harvest-days must have exhibited one of the most cheerful
spectacles in the world. One can hardly imagine a more animated scene
than that of between 200 and 300 harvest-people all busily employed at
once, and enlivened with the expectation of a festivity, which perhaps
they experienced but this one season in the year. All the inhabitants
of the village, of both sexes, and all ages, that could work, must have
been assembled on the occasion; a muster that, in the present state of
things, would be impossible. The success of thus compressing so much
business into so short a time must have depended on the weather. But
dispatch seems to have been the plan of agriculture at this time, at
least in this village. We have seen before, that 60 persons were hired
for 1 day, to weed the corn. These throngs of harvest-people were
superintended by a person who was called the head-reaper (_supermessor_
or _præpositus_), who was annually elected, and presented to the
lord, by the inhabitants; and it should seem that, in this village at
least, he was always one of the customary tenants. The year he was in
office, he was exempt from all or half of his usual rents and services,
according to his tenure; he was to have his victuals and drink at the
lord's table, if the lord kept house (_si dominus hospitium tenuerit_);
if he did not, he was to have a livery of corn, as other domestics
had; and his horse was to be kept in the manor-stable. He was next in
dignity to the steward and bailiff. The hay-harvest was an affair of
no great importance. There were but 30 acres of grass annually mown at
this period. This was done or paid for by the customary tenants. The
price of mowing an acre was 6_d._"
By an "Assessment of the Corporation of Canterbury," made in 1594, the
following were the rates of wages declared payable:--"Every labourer
from Easter to Michaelmas, with meat and drink, 4_d._ per day; finding
himself, 10_d._; and from Michaelmas to Easter, with meat and drink,
4_d._; without, 8_d._ Mowers per day, with meat and drink, 8_d._;
finding themselves, 14_d._ By the acre, with meat and drink, 4_d._;
without, 8_d._ Reapers per day, with meat and drink, 6_d._; finding
themselves, 12_d._; by the acre, with meat and drink, 14_d._; without,
28_d_. Plashing and teeming of a quick hedge, 2_d._ per rod. Laying
upon the band and binding and copping of oats, 8_d._, barley, 10_d._
Threshers by the quarter with meat and drink, for the quarter and
making clean of wheat and rye, 5_d._, oats and barley, 3_d._; without
meat and drink, for the quarter and making clean of wheat and rye,
12_d._, oats and barley, 6_d._ Making talewood, the load, 4_d._;
billets, per 1000, 12_d._ A bailiff, with livery, £3 per annum; without
livery, £3 6_s._ 8_d._"--Hasted's Antiquities of Canterbury, 1801, vol.
ii. Appendix.
[E359] "Larges," "usually a shilling" (says Major Moor in his Suffolk
Glossary). "For this the reapers will ask you if you 'chuse to have
it hallered.' If answered, yes, they assemble in a ring, holding each
other's hands, and inclining their heads to the centre. One of them,
detached a few yards apart, calls loudly, thrice, 'Holla Lar!--Holla
Lar!--Holla Lar!--j e e s.' Those in the ring lengthen out o-o-o-o
with a low sonorous note and inclined heads, and then throwing the
head up, vociferate 'a-a-a-ah.' This thrice repeated for a shilling is
the established exchange in Suffolk." "Largesse bounty, handfuls of
money cast among the people."--Cotgrave. "Crye a larges when a rewarde
is geven to workemen, _stipem vociferare_."--Huloet's Dict. 1552. The
phrase "crie a largesse" occurs in Piers Plowman, B Text, xiii. 449. As
to the gloves given to harvest-men see above and note E309.
[E360] Though barley is generally mown, it is a slovenly practice,
unless when performed with a cradle scythe.--M. See note E87.
[E361] "Dallops," patches of barley which have run to straw.--M.
[E362] Tidie means _neat, proper,_ and _in season_.--M.
[E363] "There finding a smack," _i.e._ finding a pleasant repast.
[E364] "Doo perish," _i.e._ cause to perish, ruin: the use of "do" in
this sense is very common in Early English.
[E365] "Lengthen" here is equivalent to increase the extent or produce
of.
[E366] "Fill out the black boule," etc. I am quite unable to explain
this line; the "boule of bleith" is evidently the "merry bowl," but the
epithet _black_ I do not understand.
[E367] "Thrifts ladder may clime," _i.e._ may prosper. Cf. ch. 9.
[E368] "_That_ many doo hate," in edd. of 1573, 1580, 1585, etc., the
reading is "_as_ many do hate."
[E369] "Ling perhaps looks for great extolling, being counted the
beefe of the sea, and standing every fish-day (as a cold supporter) at
my Lord Maior's table: yet it is nothing but a long cod: whereof the
greater sised is called Organe Ling, and the other Codling, because
it is no longer then a Cod, and yet hath the taste of Ling: whilst it
is new it is called green-fish: when it is salted it is called Ling,
perhaps of lying, because the longer it lyeth ... the better it is,
waxing in the end as yellow as a gold noble, at which time they are
worth a noble a piece."--Muffett, pp. 154-5, quoted in the Babees Book,
ed. Furnivall.
[E370] The following prices of various articles in Suffolk will be
interesting:--1566. A lode of straw IIII_s._--1582. A capon VI_d._; a
calfe V_s._; a firkin of butter VII_s._ VII_d._; a capon and a pullet
VI_d._; a cocke (to fight) IIII_d._ (5 cockes bought to fight); a
pullett III_d._ 5 pullets, 5 capons, 5 cockes, 1 calfe, were provided
on the reckninge day and "these are allowed in the Churchwardens'
accompte to be paide by them."--1590. To Coke for IIII combes of w otes
whh he served to the Quene VI_s._ VIII_d._; 14 rod of ditching cost
V_s._ IIII_d._--1596. Makinge a surplis for the church was II_d._; a
payer of hoose was XII_d._ another XIII_d._; makyng this boke of accts
(a single sheet written on two sides) VI_d._--1599. Three days work
ditchynge 2_s._; a hard day's work was therefore 8_d._ per day, and
a usual day's 4_d._ or 6_d._; three days thatchinge (Thos. Garrarde)
II_s._ IIII_d._; wode was II_s._ the lode.--1587 or 8. A capon vi_d._;
a calfe v_s._; a firkin of butter vii_s._ viii_d._; two capons and one
pullett vi_d._; a cocke iiii_d._; one cocke and one pullett vi_d._;
one pullett iii_d._--1583 No. 5. One short spurred cocke ii_d._; one
chycken ii_d._; one hene ii_d._--1583 No. 4. Fower combes and too
bushell of ottes at iv_s._ iv_d._ the combe; thre henes att thre pence
a pece; bowes and arrowes IIII_d._; ten milch kine 30_s._ each; seven
bullocks 7_s._ each; six calves 5_s._ each; six horses together £7; one
acre of wheat, xx_s._; one acre of Bullimong land 33_s._ 4_d._; a new
carte £11; a porkling 28_d._
Increased facilities of communication, and the numerous means that
farmers now possess, through the press, of obtaining information as to
prices of produce, etc., render _riding about_ almost unnecessary.
[E371] Tusser again sets out the advantages of ready money
transactions, and of _keeping touch_, that is, punctuality and faithful
regard to engagements. He buys at first hand who pays ready money from
his own pocket; at second hand who pays ready money, but who, in order
to enable him to do so, has to borrow a portion of the amount, because
he has not so much money as he requires with him; at third hand who
buys on credit.
[E372] "Stourbridge or Sturbich, the name of a common field extending
between Chesterton and Cambridge, near the little brook Sture, for
about half a mile square, is noted for its fair which is kept annually
on September 19th, and continues a fortnight. It is surpassed by few
fairs in Great Britain, or even in Europe, for traffic, though of late
it is much lessened. The booths are placed in rows like streets, by the
name[s] of which they are called, as Cheapside, etc., and are filled
with all sorts of trades. The Duddery, an area of 80 or 100 yards
square, resembles Blackwell Hall. Large commissions are negotiated here
for all parts of England in cheese, woolen goods, wool, leather, hops,
upholsterers' and ironmongers' ware, etc., etc. Sometimes 50 hackney
coaches from London, ply morning and night, to and from Cambridge,
as well as all the towns around, and the very barns and stables are
turned into inns for the accommodation of the poorer people. After the
wholesale business is over, the country gentry generally flock in,
laying out their money in stage-plays, taverns, music-houses, toys,
puppet-shows, etc., and the whole concludes with a day for the sale
of horses. This fair is under the jurisdiction of the University of
Cambridge."--Walker's Gazetteer, ed. 1801. See also index to Brand's
Antiquities.
Camden says it was anciently called Steresbrigg, from the little
river Stere or Sture that runs by it (in his Britannia, under
Cambridgeshire). There have been many guesses at the name and origin
of this fair, _e.g._ that of Fuller in his History of the University,
p. 66, concerning the clothier of Kendal. The truth of the matter is
this: King John granted Sturbridge fair for the benefit of the hospital
of lepers which stood there (_v. decretum Hubert. Arch. Cantuar. in
Concil. Londinen. An._ 1200. _Regn. Johann._; Spelman, ii. 127): in
the certificatorium we are told that the keeper of the hospital holds
twenty-four and a half acres of land in the county of Cambridgeshire to
maintain these lepers. The Vice Chancellor has the same power in this
fair that he has in the town of Cambridge. The University is always
to have ground assigned for a booth by the mayor. Midsummer Fair was
granted to the Prior and Convent of Barnwell, for much the same reason
that Sturbridge was to the Lepers,--_ad eorum sustentationem_. In the
reign of Henry the Sixth the Nuns of St. Radegund had the grant of
Garlick Fair for the same reason.
"Sturbridge Fair was formerly proclaimed by both the Corporation and
the University authorities. Originally lasting six weeks, in 1785 it
lasted only three weeks, and now it lasts but one week. A very amusing
account of its proclamation by the Vice Chancellor will be found in
Gunning's 'Reminiscences of Cambridge.'"--S. N. in Notes and Queries,
Aug. 25, 1877.
"When th' fair is done, I to the Colledg come,
Or else I drinke with them at Trompington,
Craving their more acquaintance with my heart,
Till our next _Sturbridg Fair_; and so wee part."
--Brathwaite's Honest Ghost, 1658, p. 189.
[E373] "When it [the malt] hath gone, or beene turned, so long [21
days] vpon the floore, they carrie it to a kill, couered with _haire
cloth_, where they giue it gentle heats (after they haue spread it
there verie thin abroad) till it be drie, and in the meane while
they turne it often, that it may be vniformelie dried."--Harrison,
Description of England, ed. F. J. Furnivall, Part I. p. 156.
[E374] Cf. September's Husbandry, ch. 16 st. 1.
[E375] One part in ten is far below the present average value of land.
If the whole produce will clear _four_ rents, the industrious farmer
would have no reason to complain, though he is now subject to heavy
taxes, which, it is to be remarked are not included in the list of
outgoings.--M.
[E376] "Well fare the plough." On a flyleaf of a MS. of Piers Plowman
(MS. R. 3, 14, in Trinity Coll. Camb.) is written,
"God spede the plouȝ
& sende vs korne I-now."
See print in beginning of Wright's ed. of Piers Plowman.