Showing posts with label Farming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Farming. Show all posts

Monday 10 July 2023

EARLSTON IN THE AGE OF THE HORSE

Introduction

At a recent meeting of Auld Earlston, a member posed the question 'What did Earlston look like in the age of the horse?'

That prompted a lot of other questions such as ‘Who had horses?; Where did they keep them? and more.


Here then, are the answers to some of those queries.


Looking for clues

There are still some clues to life in Earlston in the age of horses but many of these are being lost to progress.


As a starting point, where were horses and ponies were traded in Earlston?


The Horse Market

The market was located in the east end of the village. The parcel of land, initially known as Horse Market Green, grew into a well respected horse market.  By the 1850s newspapers such as The Perthshire Advertiser in the north to the North & South Shields and Durham Gazette and Advertiser in the south regularly reported on the  value and variety of horses and ponies traded in Earlston. However, and for whatever reason, by the beginning of the 20th century the horse market had moved. The October 1912 edition of the Berwickshire News and General Advertiser reported on the trade at the Earlston horse market held on the West Green.  The grassy area previous known as Horse Market Green was now simply known as the ‘East Green’.  The East Green is now disappearing to make way for the new primary school and an access road to a housing development.




Travellers camped on East Green ca 1900
Travellers camping on the Horse Market around 1900. The old primary school wall and gate can be seen  in the bottom right of the picture.


The East Green was a favoured site for travellers and the villagers petitioned to the land owner, Lord Binning, to prohibit camping there. He did not support the petition. However, the green was put to other uses. 


On one notable occasion in 1904 a circus encamped there. The Berwickshire News and General Advertiser reported that ‘Sedgwick’s menagerie had taken up position on the East Green and was visited by a large number of people who were greatly pleased with the show and the various performances.’ 

Later that night an elephant, stabled behind the Red Lion Hotel, escaped and was caught by the hotel proprietor, Mr Smart, devouring a haystack which was destined as feed for the hotel’s horses. By use of ‘strong measures’ the animal was returned to its stable.


Not all horses were bought and sold at the Horse Market. Local newspapers ran classified adverts under ‘Horse, Cattle, Dogs, Etc.’ In the June 20, 1895 edition of the Southern Reporter, Dr Young, the village doctor, advertised - 

‘Harness Cob for Sale. Chestnut Mare, 15.1, very strong and hardy, grand worker, sound. Apply Dr Young Earlston’


And when John Newton proprietor of the Red Lion Hotel died in 1894, his estate was sold at public auction. The range and number of items related to horses indicates the amount of equipment needed to run an hotel and meet guests needs.


Included in the sale were -

‘6 useful Harness Horses and Cobs, … 1 Landau, 1 Side-glass Phaeton, 1 Brake, 2 Wagonettes, 1 Chapel Cart … 3 Sets of Double Harnesses, 5 Sets of Single Harnesses with all Stable Utensils and Horse Clothing.’


The sale also included 1 milk cow, presumably kept to provide fresh-milk to the guests and kitchen.


Who owned horses?

Up until the mid 1860s, horses were the only means of transport for Earlstonians, but very few people could afford a coach fare let alone own a horse.


Most horses were draft horses such as Clydesdales which were used on farms for heavy work such as ploughing and pulling other machinery.



Working with heavy horses showing bondager
A pair of heavy horses pulling a reaping machine. Note the bondager (female farm servant) in her distinctive costume on the right of the picture.


Other businesses such as carters, tradespeople and professionals used draft horses or ponies. Dr Young used a horse and gig to attend patients in the areas surrounding Earlston.


Earlston baker making delivery by horse and cart
Earlston baker making a delivery to  customer



Where were the horses stabled?

Those who were fortunate enough to own a horse needed to have access to a stable to shelter the animal. 

A look through the old Valuation Rolls, an early version of rateable values, shows that a number of houses had stabling either in a yard or in a garden.


Many houses along the north side of the High Street, towards the east end of the village, had stables in the garden.  Since some house names haven’t changed we can see that for example, Aitchison Place, Rose Place and Green View had stables.

Owners could access their stables and lead the horse out on to the ‘Back Road’.


This map from 1857 shows the ‘Back Road’ running parallel with the High Street from the west end of the village to the church. The road provided church-goers from the west end of the village a path to the Kirk. 



1857 map of Earlston showing Back Road


Remains of the Back Road

Very little is left of the Back Road, just a short strip from the ‘Postie Close’ (now Kyle Court) for about 100 metres towards the church.


The road is in a poor state but that’s nothing new. An article in the Southern Reporter dated December 1911, reported that concerns had been raised about the condition of the road. The article stated -

‘It is a complaint of long standing that the Back Road is always in a condition to render it a most undesirable thoroughfare to the ordinary pedestrian. Not being a scheduled road it is left severely alone by the County Council and ratepayers, whose property it adjoins, bestow no more attention upon it that they can help, with a view to effecting a much needed improvement in this respect.’


The Valuation Rolls also show that some houses on New Street (now Thorn Street) also had stables. These properties had the advantage that the stables had direct access to public roads.

For example, the 1893 Valuation Roll records that Miss Jane Roger owned a property on New Street that comprised a house, garden, shop and stable. The tenant was a Mr David Jameson who was a carter by trade.



Entrance to stable on house on Thorn Street then and now
The early photo of Thorn Street shows an entrance to a stable immediately behind the gig. The arch over the stable entrance can still be seen in the recent photo on the left.

Naturally, hotels also had stables with direct access to the street for the use of guests and the hotel proprietor.
The photograph below shows the old Commercial Inn on the High Street, (long since converted to a private dwelling house), with access to the stables at the rear of the building via the arched entrance.

The old Commercial Inn with entrance to stables



Who looked after the horses?

Not only was stabling needed for the horses but also blacksmiths, saddlers and grooms.

The 1900 business directory for Earlston lists four blacksmiths in the village. The bulk of their work would be repairing farm machinery and carts but the number of horses needing shoed would provide a good income too. One blacksmith, J & A Brotherston, is still under family ownership and working from the original premises.  Another blacksmith, Robert Lee, whose premises, although no longer in use, still stands on the corner of West Green and Station Road. 


Robert Lee's smithy now and then
Robert Lee's smithy, Now and Then

 
Opposite Lee’s smithy was the village saddler, John MacDonald, on Station Road.

Old saddler's premises
John MacDonald, Saddler, Station Road (white door and window) now converted to a private house


On farms it was the job of the ‘hinds’ (male farm servants) to care for his assigned horse. Around mid-day the hind would feed and water the horse and allow it to rest for a couple of hours. At the end of the day the horse was unhitched (lowsin’ time) and brought back to its stable for more food and water, and grooming. If needs be the hind would polish the harness and leather work to keep it supple and waterproof.

Some businesses and private individuals would employ grooms to tend to the horses. For example, the 1911 Census shows that Dr Young, in addition to employing a cook and house maid, also had a groom to tend to his horse.  The village hotels employed grooms to tend to the proprietor’s horse and those of guests. 

Extract from Scotland 1891 census
Extract from 1891 Census showing Robert Reid, employed as a groom at the Red Lion Hotel.
Credit: Scotland's People


Where roads safer in the age of the horse?

Would roads have been safer in the age of the horse?  Certainly there were fewer vehicles on the road and generally they travelled much slower than today’s cars and trucks but accidents still happened to drivers, passengers and pedestrians. 

In November of 1895 Co-Op vanman, James Weatherston had just made a delivery to Cowdenknowes Mains when his horse bolted upsetting the van. When Weatherston fell, the van landed on his legs breaking one of them. He was taken to his home in Darlingfield   where he was treated by Dr Young.

In August 1895 a four wheeled phaeton carriage carrying an ‘excursion trip’ was returning from Lauder to Earlston. The horse suddenly bolted and one passenger, Mrs Valance who was holding her seventeen month old child, jumped from the carriage. She landed on her shoulder breaking her collar bone. The child was unharmed and both taken home to Galashiels where they received medial treatment.

In December of 1885, a young boy, Robert Moffat was run over by a spring cart near the entrance to the cattle sale-ring in Earlston. He was taken home where he was treated by Dr Young who did not consider the boy’s injuries as serious.

Fortunately, these examples of ‘road traffic accidents’ resulted in, what would be considered today, minor injuries , however one wonders if the injured were left with any lasting damage, for example from bones that didn’t set properly, if they lost their jobs as a result of their injury or how they would be able to pay for any medical treatment they received.

Just like the modern day, there were at least some controls to make roads safer. Local newspapers of the late nineteenth century reported cases appearing in police courts. A frequently reported offence was ‘being drunk while in charge of horse’. 

Punishment seemed to be inconsistent. For example, labourer William Dawson, was found guilty of being drunk in charge of a horse and cart in the Market Place and Station Road in Melrose. He was find 25s (£1.25) or ‘suffer twenty-one days imprisonment. Whereas farmer George Beattie (his tenth appearance before the court on this charge!) was ordered to pay a fine of 10s (50p) or suffer seven days imprisonment for the same offence.

In another case heard in Hawick in 1897, a labourer was charged with ‘careless and reckless driving”.  The labourer, who was under the influence of drink, was driving rapidly on the wrong side of the road when one of the shafts of his trap struck a horse being ridden by a local postman killing it. The labourer was fined 20s (£1) or ten days imprisonment.


All work and no play?

If you drive from Earlston towards Kelso, about 2.5 miles after leaving the village, you pass the road end to Yarlside Farm.  The farm was once the site of Earlston horse racecourse.

When the track was established isn’t known however when the Ordnance Survey conducted a survey of Berwickshire in 1871 the site was known then as the ‘old racecourse’ so its obvious that it is much, much older than the 1870s.

The old Racecourse at Earlston
The old race track in red and Racecourse Plantation
Credit: Canmore.org.uk


When the race course fell out of use and the area was planted as a wooded area. 

The Ordnance Survey maps of today (Sheet 74) still show ‘Racecourse Plantation’.


The final journey

For many villagers the only horse drawn carriage ride would be in the village hearse to the churchyard.


A coach-house still stands on Church Street which once housed the hearse (locally known as the ‘hearse hoose!), although these days it is used by Scottish Borders Council for other purposes.


The hearse was shared between churches in Earlston and Lauder to give the recently departed a suitable send off on their final journey.


The photo below shows the ‘hearse hoose’ as it is today together with an early, colourised photo of Church Street showing a pony in front of the hearse coach-house.


The Hearse Hoose now and then



The end of an era

At the outbreak of the First World War, the British army was desperate for horses. Within days of the declaration of war army personnel visited towns and villages requisitioning horses deemed suitable.

In early August 1914, troops visited Earlston. They took 4 horses from Colonel Hope at Cowdenknowes and 3 from Robert Smart, the proprietor of The Red Lion Hotel. Other businessmen were affected, Ralph Dodds, a grocer, Robert Murdison, a plumber, and, George Stewart, a dairyman, each had a horse requisitioned.

This signalled the beginning of the end of a way of life where horses played such a central role.

It would take many years for working horses to completely disappear from Earlston. As a child in the 1950s, I can remember Davie Brown delivering firewood (‘sticks’) door to door by horse and cart.


What are your memories?

Do you have any memories of working horses in Earlston? Are there any other clues on the buildings showing links to the age of the horse? Please share them in the comments below.




Sunday 3 February 2019

Earlston Hiring Fairs in the 1930's

 O 

Earlston Hiring Fairs, held in the Market Square,  were important events where men and women  farm  workers, (ag.labs (agricultural labourers), hinds*,  ploughmen,  shepherds, dairy maids.  domestic servants etc.)  would gather to bargain with prospective farmers for work, and hopefully secure a position for the following 6-12 months.  

*The Scottish National  Dictionary defines a "hind" in  Southern Scotland and Northumberland as  "a married skilled farm worker who occupies a cottage on the farm and is granted certain perquisites in addition to wages. 

Special trains were laid on by L.N.E.R. offering cheap days excursions to Earlston for the event.
 Southern Reporter:  20th February 1936

Hiring Fairs were also social occasions with a rare opportunity for friends and family to meet and enjoy side shows and stalls, with often all-day dancing in the Corn Exchange, and a chance to take teas in the Masonic Hall or a dram in one of the public houses.
 Earlston Hiring Fair 1934 

Issue of Wage Rates
But in the 1930's, the depressed state of agricultural wages was a live issue.  A rise after the First World War had seen a fall during the 1920's and a further decrease in the early 1930's.  "The Scotsman" of 24th February 1931 reported on Earlston Hiring Fair,  noting that: 
"As this is one of the first Border hirings in the year, considerable interest was evinced in agricultural circles regarding the question of wages.  There was a large attendance, but hiring was very small, owing presumably to the reluctance of farm servants to accept a reduction in wages.  These showed a decrease of 2s-3s per week compared with last year.  Ploughmen are likely to receive 30s.-33s. per week, with harvest allowance and the usual emoluments;  women workers from 18s-21s; boys according to ability 15s to 20s."
[The 2 shilling per week decrease represented  £4.68 in today's money; 30 shillings per week  -  £68, and  18 shillings  - £24.]  
Source:  National Archives Currency Converter


How Much Did Food Cost?
The Office of National Statistics reported that prices for everyday items such as bread, sugar, tea, cheese, margarine, eggs, potatoes and  flour all increased in price after the First World War, peaking around 1920.  They then fell slightly, but remained above the 1918 level through the 1920s and 1930s.

The local press reported  that in 1935 the price of bread increased from 71/2d to  8d per 4lb loafThe two Galashiels advertisements below from  "The Southern Reporter": 10th December 1936, give an indication of prices at the time, though  no doubt they were promoting many items well above an agricultural worker's pocket.

 An advertisement for James Galbraith, Galashiels

Thomas Rae on Bank Street was advertising gifts


A series of meetings of farm workers  were held across the Borders including St. Boswells  to discuss the issue of pay Then in 1937 an Agricultural Board was established, representing the interests of employers and employees  to  set minimum wages, holiday entitlement, and working conditions for agricultural workers.  A separate body for Scotland was set up in 1949 with representatives from from the  National Farms Union of Scotland and the Scottish Landowners Federation.

Seeking Farm Vacancies  
Times were changing, and increasingly during the 1930s farm vacancies were being advertised in the local press.  Workers were also showing a reluctance to move, especially if they were already living near a town or on a bus route and their farm cottages were being improved.

A typical listing of jobs advertised in "The Southern Reporter" of 10th March 1936.  Note no pay rates are stated, and many vacancies stipulated  along with the man, a wife to look after cows and poultry, and strong boy(s) to assist on farm. 

In the same year, an item in "The Berwickshire News" noted:
"There is reason to believe that in the not too distant future, farm hirings will fall into abeyance."
A report on Kelso Hiring Fair in "The Southern Reporter" 10 January 1938  was typical of the concern.



With  the onset of war in 1939,  hiring fairs died out.  but  in Earlston, "the Shows" remained a tangible link with the past, and continued to come into the Square well into the 1960's. 


***************

Press Cuttings and Press Comments sourced on
"British Newspapers Online 1710 -1963" at Find My Past

Monday 30 July 2018

Land Girls Remembered

B.'s account of her Life as an Earlston Land Girl at Georgefield Farm, 1944-45 evoked a lot of interest when it was published recently on the Auld Earlston blog.

Since then two related photographs have come to light:



Land Girls gathering in Earlston for work on local farms  
during the Second World War. 


**************** 


 The monument to the Land Army and the Timber Corps 
at the National Memorial Arboretum, near Lichfield, Staffordshire.


The Arboretum is a 150 acre woodland site that stands as a scenic commemoration to British servicemen and women with nearly 300 different memorials.  

During the Second World War The Land Army and the Timber Corps directed women to fill the places in agriculture and forestry to replace the men called up into the armed forces.   At first volunteers were sought. but  then numbers  were increased by conscription.   By 1944 the Women's Land Army  had over 80,000 members across Britain.   It was officially disbanded in 1949. 

************** 
Do you have any wartime photographs or memories, or ones passed down to you from your parents or grandparents on life in the village during the war.  

If so, do please get in touch, as we would like to hear from you. Items will be copied and returned to you, and may be featured in our forthcoming exhibition in October. 


Contact:  E-Mail:  auldearlston@aol.com 

THANK YOU 

Wednesday 20 June 2018

Life as an Earlston Land Girl

Auld Earlston is  currently gathering memories from local residents on their war memories or those passed down by  their parents and grandparents - in preparation for the  forthcoming October Exhibition on the theme of "Earlston at War and Peace".
We are grateful to B. who has given us here  a vivid account of life as a land girl at Georgefield Farm, Earlston in 1944-45.  

Being Called Up  
"I was living in Edinburgh, left school at 14 and was   working in a lawyer's office when I was called up in 1944.  I was given the choice of becoming a FANY - joining the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry or the Land Army.  I chose the Land Army as it was always the one organization that appealed to me.  I was delighted to be given the choice, as my sister was just conscripted into  Munitions with no alternative offered."

Working on a Poultry Farm 
"It was a huge change for me when I was sent to Georgefield  Farm in  Earlston,  looking after the large poultry section - cleaning out the hen houses, feeding the hens who were free range poultry,  and rounding them up at night to shut them  away from prowling foxes. I became strong there and could heave around 100weight sacks of meal.
We started work at 7am and finishing time depended on the time of year.  In winter we shut the hens up around 4pn but in the lighter nights, it could be midnight before we finished. After the grain was harvested,  the hens were sent into the cornfields and it took ages to get them back in the hen houses.   It was amazing what you could see in the moonlight  - we had torches but you were lucky if you could get fresh batteries for them. For those long hours,  I can never remember getting paid more than £2 a week. We had a uniform of khaki breeches, a V-necked pullover and a brimmed hat."
The view looking north from Georgefield Farm - taken in January 2018. 

Wartime Food 
 "Four or five  of us lived in a bothy on the farm and we ate well - all on the rations.  One of us took it in turns to return to the bothy to prepare our midday meal - often macaroni cheese or mince and tatties. I had not done any cooking before,  but I soon learnt on the coal stove.  A great perk was that we were allowed a dozen eggs a week, which I often saved to take back home for my weekends off.  Everyone heartily disliked  the dried eggs which were part of the staple wartime diet,  so fresh eggs were a big treat.  We never ate chicken the whole time I was there. If the chickens were sick or injured,  they were killed and put in the incinerator.  It was only after the war, I thought "Why did we never get it to cook?"

Food shopping (all on the wartime rations) was done in the village - at the grocers' shops - Willie  Park's,  Tom Bell's,  Forrest's, or Taylor's. 

We felt  we were much  luckier than the other land girls  working  on the arable crops at Georgefield.  They were based in a hostel at Bemersyde, so much more isolated than we were; they were brought to the farm in a van and had to prepare ahead their sandwiches for lunch - boringly jam, spam or cheese. "
Leisure Time
We had a good deal of freedom. as we could get easily into the village;  we went to dances, often twice a week in the Corn Exchange, and enjoyed listening  to the Polish Band.   Drink wasn't served at the dance, and it was never a problem in the village.  The evening finished with the playing of the Polish and British national anthems.
 We took the bus into Galashiels (return fare 1/6 - one shilling and sixpence).  We got every second weekend off and I  often went back home to Edinburgh  - 5/6 return (five shillings and sixpence)  on the bus. 
Sometimes on free weekends we took the bus to Carfraemill. Hotel.  5 shillings was the maximum by law that could be charged  for a meal and we would get high tea for 4/6 there - fish and chips, or ham salad, with bread, scone or a toasted  teacake. 
The whole of the war I only had two dresses which I wore alternatively. If you wanted to get a new winter coat, that took almost all your clothes rations for the year.  It helped to have a father or brother who could pass on their unwanted coupons.
"One of the girls in the bothy had a gramophone and introduced me to opera - "La Boheme" and it has remained a great love of mine.  We had no radio to find out what was going on in the world outside,  but one of us took it in turns to walk into Earlston to get a newspaper - usually the Daily Herald or Daily Express." 

A Change 
"In 1945 I was sent to a dairy farm near Chirnside.  I hated it, especially the noise of the milking machines. We had a room in a farm cottage, but there was no privacy.  The only washing facility was in the kitchen which we shared with the family."
V.E. Day
"For me my war had ended. For my family it was not a day  for celebration,  but a time for reflection and remembrance of  my brother who had been killed in action" 

Postscript  
"In Earlston, I met my husband who was home on leave.  We married in 1948 and  Earlston has been my home now for 70 years". 


***************

NOTES:
The Women's Land Army  was a British civilian organisation,  created during the First and Second World Wars,  to recruit  women to  work in agriculture, replacing men called up to the armed forces.  At first volunteers were sought. but  numbers  were increased by conscription.   By 1944 the Women's Land Army  had over 80,000 members across Britain.   It was officially disbanded in 1949.
 
A World War One Land Girl
 
On the left - A Land Girl in the Second World War
with an Air Raid Warden on the right.  (Not Earlston) 
********** 

Do you have any war memories, or ones passed down to you from your parents or grandparents.  If so, do please get in touch, as we would like to hear from you. 
E-Mail:  auldearlston@aol.com

Wednesday 9 September 2015

Farming in Earlston in Days Gone By

As we come close to marking harvest time, we here take a look at farming in Earlston  in days gone by,  with photographs from the Auld Earlston collection. 

The Statistical Account of Scotland for 1791 in the chapter on Earlston gives us an early description of farming around the village. 
"The farmers rear a considerable number of black cattle...which they fatten on turnips.  The most common crops in this parish are  oats, barley and peas.  There is also some wheat.  The oats that grow on the grounds at Fans are much esteemed. There is now a greet quantity of clover and of  rye grass sown." 
The account also noted that two fairs were held in Earlston  - on the 28th June  for sheep, black cattle and horses, reckoned to be "the second best fair in the south of Scotland".  The other fair was held on the third  Thursday of October. 

 Hiring Fair 1909
Hiring Fairs, held in the Market Square,  were important events where men and women  farm  workers, (ag. labs (agricul.tural labourers), hinds*,  shepherds, dairy maids domestic servants etc.)  would gather to bargain with prospective farmers for work, and hopefully secure a position for the following 6-12 months.  

*The Scottish National  Dictionary defines a "hind" in  Southern Scotland and Northumberland as  "a married skilled farm worker who occupies a cottage on the farm and is granted certain perquisites in addition to wages. 

Hiring Fairs were also social occasions with a rare opportunity for friends and family to meet and enjoy side shows and stalls - as can be seen in the two photographs featured. .  
 Hiring Fair in the 1930's.

Hiring Fairs lost their importance in the First World War and had largely died out by the late 1930's.

*********



Bondagers were female farm workers in south east Scotland and Northumberland.   As part of their husband's contract (or bond) with the farmer, he would undertake to  provide another worker (usually his wife) to help as and when  required. The women  wore a distinctive dress with bonnet, described as the "last remaining peasant costume" in Britain. 

************
"Horses are absolutely necessary in this part of the country, for it is by them the farmers labour their farms and drive their corn to market.  They never work with oxen now as they did formerly." - a quote from the 1791 Statistical Account. 
Oxen feature in this old photograph which is described as on the  "Road between Earlston and Melrose". 

Anyone tracing their family history may well have  a "carter or carrier " in their ancestry - an essential occupation in transporting farmers' goods around.  

A heavily laden cart on Station Road.
 

 ************

A view from Craigsford Farm
Sheep outside the Smiddy on Station Road - 
on the way to the Auction Mart by the railway?
Sheep Shearing

 ***********

Note the woman helping with the hay-making
              
      Building a Haystack at Cowdenknowes
Earlston from Craigsford Mains

****************



Thank you to everyone who has  donated or loaned old photographs for scanning.

Auld Earlston welcomes all contributions on the village's past  - contact us on  auldearlston@aol.com or via the comments box below.  


For more photographs on village life,  
look at our associated Facebook page  Lost Earlston