Tue 2nd September 1777. A showry day. Can get little done with the hay. We have got it all mow'd last week.
The Farming Year: September: Commentary
Fletcher’s entries for September 1777 provide a full record of harvest month. A cold Spring and a wet and stormy August that year had delayed the hay harvest and blasted the corn, so that it was a poor and late crop. Haymaking continued into the first week of September, overlapping with the corn harvest. While the wheat crop was sound, if small, the barley crop this year was poor. Other tasks on the farm included washing the lambs and sending them out to the common pastures on the fell and settling the ‘bull book’, recording payments made for the services of the Underwood bull. Another regular errand this month was to go to Cockermouth to buy salmon from the River Derwent to be salted down.
September 1777 also saw a change of personnel on the farm. Joseph Mitchell, who had been farm servant at Underwood for about five years, left after some ill feeling and was replaced by Peter Murray, who had previously worked for Fletcher (from 1765 to 1768) and moved back to Underwood from the nearby village of Ullock.
The vestry meeting Fletcher attended on 23rd was a meeting of householders in Mosser township, to decide on business to be brought from the township to the manorial court of Egremont Lordship,. At the meeting, held one week before the Michaelmas sitting of the court, the vestry decided not to pursue a matter relating to a hedge which was out of repair.
John and William are Fletcher's two younger sons, then aged nineteen and seventeen. Joseph (‘Jo’) Bacon was a sailor, an acquaintance of Fletcher’s seafaring son, Isaac.
Diary
Tue 2nd September 1777. A showry day. Can get little done with the hay. We have got it all mow'd last week.
Wed 3rd. Weather still continues wet and very unseasonable. Got the most of the hay into great cock. About 7 or 8 cart loads yet out.
Sat 6th. Got about 4 cart loads of hay this afternoon.
Sun 7th. At Meeting. Nothing remarkable. John went yesterday p.m. to Workington and brought home a sheeting web, 53 yards; a diper ditto 2 yards; half anchor; cask gin. Got home well. Jo Bacon here in the afternoon. He brought a handkerchif for wife & a silver stock buckle for William.
Mon 8th. Sent William to Cockermouth for a fish and 2 sickles. Begun to sheer wheat this day.
Wed 10th. Nothing to be remarked. Weather unsettled and showry but warm and growing. Corn late. About the wheat shearing.
Fri 12th. Got the remainder of the hay yesterday. Joseph about washing the lambs: tobacco paper, broom and chamberley [stale urine] to kill the lice &c.
Sat 13th. Finish'd the washing of the lambs; 25 in number. Very warm, close weather. Settled this evening with Joseph Mitchel and paid him in full: 9s.
Mon 15th. Sent William to Cockermouth. About shearing wheat; a very fine day. The wheat is not much worse for the wet weather but is pretty good and near all ripe.
Tue 16th. This day Peter Murray entered here in place of Joseph Mitchell who has left us, he having behaved in a manner very disagreable. Passion and ill nature are mostly predominant with him.
Wed 17th. Shearing wheat in the Croft. Peter here. A warm, moderate day but little sun. Settled the bull book: 142 to this day, exclusive of our own cows.
Thu 18th. Got all the wheat cutt this forenoon. Carried the lambs to the fell after. Went with Peter to the fell.
Sat 20th. A very fine day. Peter is threshing wheat. Very small but sound and dry.
Mon 22nd. Sent Peter to Cockermouth with oats, 9 pecks. Sold them for 6s 6d per bushel. Could get no fish for salting until the water rise. Got some wheat housed after.
Tue 23rd. Attended the Monthly Meeting. At Mosser in the evening at a vestry. Agreed not to go forward with the presentment as the hedge was in part repaired & some prepairation made for more.
Wed 24th. Got all the wheat in last night. Very dry.
Thu 25th. Went to Cockermouth with wife and son John to the Quarter Meeting which was but thin on account of the season. Pretty well conducted.
Sat 27th. Shearing barley in Far Whinney. A very poor crop and much grown over with weed. Barley in general a bad crop this year & very small.
Mon 29th. Went to Cockermouth. Got 4 fish, weight 95lb. @ 2d = 15s 10d.
Tue 30th. Lame: could not go to the court at Egremont. Shearing oats in the Shortlands: much laid and grown thro'. Gardner here planting out the early cabbage.
Extracts from The Diary of Isaac Fletcher of Underwood, Cumberland, 1756-1781, edited by Angus J L Winchester (Kendal, 1994).
