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Farm labour in 1809
The regular and constant servants of every farm consists of hinds,
or married ploughmen, who are yearly servants from Whitsunday to
Whitsunday; and single men who live in their master's houses, and are
hired half yearly, as likewise are the household women servants.
Upon every farm, according to its size, a certain number of hinds,
or married men servants, are kept, who may be called ploughman,
each of whom takes the charge of, and works, a pair of horses, in
whatever way they may be required. Each hind has a cottage
upon the farm, of one room, which he furnishes at his own expense, and is
allowed the keep of a cow, six months on pasture, and six months in the
house upon straw, with a regulated allowance of coarse hay, or turnips,
or something equivalent, about calving time. The whole produce from
this cow, which they purchase themselves, is their own property, but they
are not allowed to keep a calf upon the farm. They are allowed
ground on which to plant one or two firlots of
potatoes, from 1 ½ to 3 bushels, all the horse culture of which is given
by the farm strength, and all the hand culture by their wives and children,
at their own cost. Each has permission to sow a peck of linseed,
the whole hand culture of which, and its preparation into flax, devolves
upon his family. For the most part each is allowed to keep three
hens, which they generally exceed. They receive a certain
stipulated quantity of grain, instead of wages, according to bargain,
from 13 to 15 bolls of six bushels each, and a yearly allowance in money,
according to agreement, from 30 to 40 shillings each, in name of sheep
silver, being a commutation of an ancient permission of keeping a few
sheep upon the farm.
They likewise have their food during harvest, as their wives are
then employed in reaping, and they have the carriage of their coals
gratis, which they must purchase themselves. Estimating the whole
at the present average rates, the expense of a Berwickshire hind,
all his yearly gains, may have been adds under (shown below) during the
year from Whitsunday 1806 to Whitsunday 1807, or from Whitsunday 1807 to
the same term in 1808.
Allowance in money £2 0s 0d
10 bolls of oats, or 60 bushels at 21 shillings £10 10s 10d
4 bolls of barley, or 24 bushels at 22 shillings £4 8s 0d
1 boll peas or beans, or six bushels £1 8s 0d.
Thus £18 6s 0d may be called wages.
Keep of a cow the whole year at sixpence a day £9 2s 6d
Value of potatoes, 5 bolls at 8 shillings £2 0s 0d
Value of flax 10s 0d
Allowance of poultry 10s od
Harvest fruit, and allowance while leading £1 10s 0d
Carriage of 4 carts of coals £1 0s 0d
These may be called gains £14 12s 6d
Total income £32 18s 6d
The value of the cottage and small cabbage garden is not estimated, as
the hinds wife is generally bound to shear during harvest without
wages, but with full harvest food, and must work at all outdoor labour, especially
hoeing and hay harvest, for the customary wages of the country.
They have other advantages, in, indeed with all other country labourers
and cottagers, as their wives and children, from the moment they
can handle a hoe or weed hook, are never in want of outwork, for which
they received ample wages, except during the dead of winter, when they
attend the parochial schools. Their boys soon go to place,
first as cowherds, and afterwards as single servants in farmers families. The girls begin early at
outwork, and afterwards go to service. In fact a hinds family,
after the first few years of helpless infancy has been got over, is riches; and often contributes to maintain him
when past labour. Nothing is wanting, except that they should all
belong to benefit clubs, after their support in old age, to render their
situations most completely comfortable and independent.
Upon most farms, an upper servant, farm steward, or bailiff
is employed, to whom the special orders for farm work are communicated,
and who sees it executed, and takes charge of corning the horses. To
him, likewise, the charge of sowing, stacking, and thrashing, is
confided. In smaller farms he usually works a pair of horses, as
one of the hinds; but on larger farms, he mostly superintends only.
He is paid like the hinds, in grain and money, with such additional wages
or gains as may be agreed upon, seldom exceeding from three to five
pounds above the other servants.
Every farm of any extent has a shepherd, who receives hinds wages and allowances, and has, in addition, the
right of keeping an agreed number of ewes along with the flock of the
farm. In the lower country, usually from three to six ewes, which
he finds as his own cost, and has the whole of their produce in wool and
lambs. He is likewise allowed 1, 2, or three young sheep, ewe hogs,
and gimmers, to replace his old or cast ewes. In
Lammermoor, the herds flock is considerably more numerous; and as, upon
large breeding farms, the principal shepherd is often obliged to keep 1, 2
or more under herds, a special bargain for their wages and maintenance is
entered into according to circumstances, usually paid in oatmeal, and the
allowance of two or more cows, with a proportional addition to his sheep
flock.
Besides the hinds or married servants, most farmers keep 1, 2, or more single
servants, or unmarried lads, who live in the house, and each work a
pair of horses. There are half yearly servants, with money wages,
having their full board in the farmers
kitchen. Their wages vary, from five or six pounds, up to 12 for
the half year.
The labouring work on the farm, as hay mowing, hedging, ditching,
draining and the like, is performed by hired labourers upon day
wages, or upon contracts by piecework. When hired for the whole
year round, from half a guinea to 12 shillings a week. Upon the
large farms there usually is one or two such
labourers, having cottages, for which their wives have to shear. Such
labourers may earn from £25 to £30 yearly, besides their harvest wages
and food, and generally have extraordinary wages for mowing hay. Their
families have the same opportunities of gain, as already mentioned
respecting hinds, and their whole yearly earnings may be very nearly
similar to those of the hinds.
The hours of labour during eight months are from six in the
morning till six in the evening, with one hour for breakfast and one for
dinner, at nine and one respectively. In the four winter months of
November, December, January, and February, work continues during good
light, when frost allows, and breakfast is taken before work begins.
Piecework varies according to agreement; and has been already
noticed in several foregoing sections of this report, under the
particular heads to which these works refer, especially draining, hedging,
and ditching. Turnip hoeing has sometimes been contracted
for, twice over, and the farmer to be satisfied with its cleanness, at
from four to seven shillings an acre; mowing hay at from three to five
shillings; reaping and stooking, without food,
at from 10 to 15 shillings, all by the acre, but such contract work is by
no means general.
What is called out-work, as helping to fill muck carts, spreading
the muck, setting and hoeing potatoes, hoeing turnips, carrying seed to
the sowers, hoeing drilled grain, weeding,
gathering surface stones, haymaking, and the like, are mostly performed
by women and young people of either sex, but mostly girls.
These have day wages, which vary from 9d to one shilling as can be agreed
upon; 15 years ago they were only from 4d to 6d. This kind of work
is performed under the superintendance of the farm
steward, where one is kept that does not work horses, and often under
a grieve hired for the season.
It has already been mentioned that cottages are attached to almost every
farm, for the hinds at least, and often to the day labourers that are
almost constantly employed... It was customary to have a few other
cottages upon the larger farms, let to weavers chiefly, and their
occupiers bound to shear at the ordinary wages, and to supply certain
outworkers when wanted; but these are now fast falling into disuse, owing
to the great expense of repairs, and such people now live in the country
villages, whence the farmers hire what labourers of all kinds they may
need.
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