Fri 19th. About fresh smitting the sheep this afternoon. John Jackson brought a tip [ram] ... and put him to the ewes, in number 19. Wedders 16; hoggs 14; in all 49
The Farming Year: November: Commentary
As the days drew in, November saw a series of annual tasks marking the approach of winter: ‘salving’ the sheep (by rubbing a mixture of tar and butter into their skin to protect against parasites), then renewing their ‘smit’ marks; killing a fat cow; laying in a stock of coal as winter fuel. It also brought the Martinmas hiring fair at Cockermouth, when agricultural and domestic servants were taken on for the coming six-month term.
In these entries, from November 1779, ‘Peter’ is Peter Murray, the farm hand who lived with his family in a separate house at Underwood; ‘John’ and ‘William’ are Fletcher’s sons, then aged 21 and 19.
Diary
Mon 1st November 1779. Ploughing for the remainder of the wheat. Got it all put in this day and in general very well, the uncertainty of the weather considered.
Tue 2nd. Peter gone to the smithy at Mockerkin with the old mares. Got them both shod anew. Weather these two days very moderate and fair.
Wed 3rd. Peter gone to the coals. Weather showry and uncertain with rain and wind in the nights but more moderate in the day time.
Thu 4th. Peter gone to the coals. Weather much the same.
Sat 6th. Peter gone to the coals again.
Mon 8th. Weather showry but pretty moderate.
Tue 9th. William Allason, waller, here about mending the houses, the roofs of which are gone much out of repair and many slates blow'd off.
Fri 12th. About diging the ground and planting out the tulip roots. They are sprouted a considerable length, owing as I believe to their laying too warm.
Sat 13th. About taking up some laurel trees and planting them in other places. Planted out about 15 of them. Came on showry this day.
Mon 15th. A very wet, cold day. This is Martinmass fair and the hiring day for servants. In general pretty moderate.
Tue 16th. John Rudd, taylor, here mending William's cloths. Weather cold with some showers of rain and snow upon the hills.
Thu 18th. Four sheep salvers here. The number of sheep in all is 49 and generally in pretty good order. Very cold weather and sharp frost but cloudy.
Fri 19th. About fresh smitting the sheep this afternoon. John Jackson brought a tip [ram] from Bowmans of Place in Lowswater and put him to the ewes, in number 19. Wedders 16; hoggs 14; in all 49 as above.
Sat 20th. Some showers this morning; the air very cold. Peter threshing wheat. John gone to Cockermouth this afternoon.
Mon 22nd. William gone to Cockermouth. Wife gone to John Woodvill's in afternoon. Peter gone to the coals for himself. Very hard frost and a great ragg [hoar frost] in the night.
Tue 23rd. An eclipse of the moon begun about 6 p.m. & ended before 10. Cloudy soon after the beginning so that little of it was seen.
Wed 24th. Peter threshing barley for malt. Showers of hail and cold; the frost not likely to break yet.
Fri 26th. John Jackson here about killing the Scotty cow. She proved pretty well. Very good beef and about three stone of tallow. Weather sharp and frosty.
Sat 27th. Peter gone to the smithey to get the mare sharp'd. Threshing after. Weather cold but seems to come on thow, or perhaps snow.
Mon 29th. Peter and William gone to the market with the cow skin and tallow. It was four stone short weight and the skin weighed three stone.
Tue 30th. Peter threshing barley. A cold, showry day. Wind about SSW; the barometer at 19. Sold the bull yesterday to Jonathan Wilson for six pounds. To take him in a week.
Extracts from The Diary of Isaac Fletcher of Underwood, Cumberland, 1756-1781, edited by Angus J L Winchester (Kendal, 1994).
