1818 AN ACCOUNT OF CROPS GROWN IN OUR GROUND OR THE LAND IN OUR OCCUPATION

                        .                         1818              1819  1820

Little Lopen (against the lane Taters         Wt      Fitchens  )1821 Mr Sam^l Anstice

                       (Middle Part      Lym^d Flax      do      and do    )     bought this Field

                       (the other side   Lym^d Flax      do      Barley    )

                                                             1821                1822                1823

Southfields    (against Palpit Taters         Wt      Beans     Hemp        Wt            Beans

Close      ( Middle Part         Hemp           do        do      do          do            do & Clover

                ( the other side      Hemp           do        do      Clover      do            do

Netherway( against Easons      Lymd           Pots    Wt        Beans       Clover        Wt

                (…………..         Turnips

                ( against Viles       Lymd           Pots    Wt        Beans       Clover        Wt

                ……………         Turnips

Rydon    ( against Templemans  Barley         Clover  Wt        Turnips     ) Simeon bought

                ( against Donystraphe Barley         Clover  Wt        Turnips     ) Rydon 1821

Sheaf Close……….                         Beans             Flax Wt         Taters      Wt            Vitches & Turnips

Slate Close………..                         Wt                  Flax Peas       Wt              Flax              Barley & Clover

Plumtree Furlong                          Taters    Wt  Beans     Taters      Wt            Beans 1½ acres

Churchpath……….                         Beans     Flax Wt          Beans     Hemp      Now in P T furlong

Severstone………..                         Barley    Clover   Wt & Lyme Beans )changed in 1822 for South Acre Field Bean

Eastfield by the Road          Beans         Flax     Wt        Beans       Taters        Wt

Yonder ½ Acre                             Beans     Flax Wt & Lyme Beans       Taters        Wt

Ps Yonderside                               Beans     Taters   Wt        Beans       Taters        Wt

Nearside       ……..                         Beans     Pease    Wt        Beans       Hemp          Wt

Southfield Acre                            Flax Wt          Beans     Taters      Wt            Beans

by the Road………                         Taters    Wt           Beans     Flax        Wt            Beans

Orchard End and Rood                       Wt          Beans    Taters   Wt          Beans         Hemp

                ……………         1818        1819        1820        1821                1822                1823

Over Yard………….         Wt   Church Path

                ……………                 Changed

                ……………                         Taters   Wt        Beans       Beans         Taters

Yonder Acre……..                 Wt          Beans    ½Acre     Wt          Beans         Hemp

                ……………                                 Hemp

Nearside       ……..         Wt           Beans    Taters    Wt          Beans         Hemp

Hanglawn………….         Wt           Wt          Flax Wt                 Beans              Taters

Pookditch………….         Wt           Barley   Taters    Wt          Wt            Flax

Little Ash………….         Wt           Beans    Taters    Wt          Wt            Taters to Jn Warrs

Under Hedge                        Wt          Barley   Taters    Wt          Wt            Taters

Longcroft………….         Wt           Wt          Pease     Wt          Wt            Flax

Yonder Acre……..                 Wt          Wt          Wt          Wt                 Wt

West Down……….         Wt           Taters   Flax      Wt          Wt            Wt

Littlegore…………..         Wt           Beans    Taters    Wt          Flax          Pease

Slade .75       ……..         Wt           Wt          Hemp      Wt                 Wt                   Taters

½ Acre   ……………         Wt           Wt          Taters    Unsound     Beans         Hemp

                ……………                                                 Wt    (Exchanged)

Yonder 3 Rood     West Down   Taters   Flax      Wt    (Darby    )         Wt

Northfield    1823 = beans

Late   )  Pookditch  1823 = Pease

Bakers )  Little Ash 1823 = Pease

Ground )  Slade      1823 = Pease

Bawdens Close        1823 = Turnips Lymd

Acre Littlegore      1823 = Hemp

Five Rood  do        1823 = Pease

                  PLANTED TREES etc

1824 in Feb   The Young Apple Trees was planted in that Orchard before our Door by Gaius Wines James Wines and myself. And the new hedge was planted in Long Croft the year and month as above. The plants was taken from the Yarn Barton where they had been planted for Twenty years before. The Work was done by Simon Edmonds and his 2 Brothers. 

1824 Feb 23   Gave James Wines and Gaius Wines for turning the Nursery 5s Od and they done it in two days 15d pr day. 

                  PLANTED APPLE TREES

1824 Feb     Mr Edmonds of South Petherton planted that large Orchard between Watergore and Petherton and the other by its side against Pewel was Planted the year before in 1823 when Mr Robt Vile of Stratton Planted the Orchard opposite our Nursery called Sullhay both in the year 1823. 

      REAPING

1825 July 26th This Day we began reaping in Northfield Myself,James Wines, Jacob Ware Sen^r and Joseph Hebditch hewed the first Acre within 3 Hours and by Saturday night 4 of us cut 13½ Acres. Saml Tucker and Samuel Stuckey bound after us and in 8 days we cut, bound and hauled or carried 14¼ Acres, we only stitched about 2 Acres of it as the Weather was so very hot the greatest part of it was Grown in Southfield Closes etc. I believe twas the thickest and best wheat I ever cut. 

GOOD CROPS AND SECURED WITH VERY LITTLE EXPENCE

1832          The Crops this Summer have been all very good except the Apple Crop, which has been very partial and the Weather had been unusually favourable for securing the whole except Barley, and perhaps three fourths of it has been so much injured by the Rain that it would not do for Malt.

                  Also the weather has been very seasonable for Wheat sowing this Autumn.

 On the whole there has been but little Rain consequently Hay was never made better than in 1832, since my recollection now worth 2/6 cwt

BOUGHT CAPTAIN

1833  March 23rd  Bought of Mr Wm Harding a 2 Year Old Black Horse Colt that he exchanged with Mr Wm Darby for a Heifer and Calf this day (this Colt was the son of the above Mare sold Mr Seward) I gave for it £12 0 0. We call his Name Captain – it has been worked and proved steady.

                   DUKE & CAPTAIN TO PLOW FIRST TIME

Apr 19th This day we went to Plow with the above Captain, and Duke, the first time either of them ever went to Plow ‑ we put Duke Lawn ‑ Captain furrow and Violet before them, in the Acre late Easons in South‑field these Colts was but 2 years old each. We put them in String Harness but 2 days before. This Dukes Father was Englands Horse of Merriott and Violet the Mother. 

                  N.B. My Son Wm Benjm  rode home Duke who was the first person that ever was on it and he only 4 years old.

                  Sold it to Mr Baggs of Norton for £10 in 1836.

 1833  June 4th         This day I sold at Somerton Fair 80 Horned Lambs at 16/6 £66 0 0

 Apr 23rd last I sold 80 hogs 24/6                        £98 0 0

 and May 14 do do 40 do 24/- £48 0 0

                                                                                           £212 0 0 

                  The above Sheep cost                    £165 0 0 

                                                                             Hogs           £47 0 0

                   Omitted 13 horn hogs at 28/ sold at Crewkerne

                  Market say                                                 £18 4 0

                           and                                               16 0 for skins etc

                                                                                                _______

                                                                  Profit this year      £66 0 0

                             1834 My Profit on Sheep was £64 10 0

 1836    Inclosure

            John Fort and Jas Wines Son of Gaius, dug and planted the hedge and ditch that inclose the 1½ acres in long furlong in South Field in Over Stratton it took 16 hundred of thorn plants.

1837  Jan  The best and cheapest way of keeping Rooks from Wheat or any other Crops. Take a Dead cat and occasionally move it from pace to place on the ridges or ground.

1839 Feb  16th    Jas Wines who work for us about 35 years left us and our Services and I forgave him £10 (to do so) Potatoe Rent etc.

1839  March 10th Giles Tolley our Labourer took possession of our Cottage at the top of Stratton where James Wines lived for many years at 1s 4d rent per  week

1842  1st Aug HARVEST

Began reaping 8½ acres of very good upstanding wheat and let it to George Willy and Giles Tolley to cut, and Harry Mitford to bind for 5/- per acre and 3 gallons cider per acre which they finished (with very little help) in 6 days and hauled and had it all covered in winter mows by the 9th day of the same month which was the Best, Quickest, and Cheapest Harvest I ever had or known.

1842 Oct  In 7 days I had 530 bags of Potatoes dug in Southfield at 1½d per Bag and all separated and the Men earned per day 2/3. Potatoes this year generally was very small especially those planted late as the Weather was very Dry all the summer and the Frost came in early.

N.B. This Summer the Hay was made very Good the Wheat Barley and Beans secured without scarce any Rain and the Potatoes Dug in a dry healthy state – It was one of the most seasonable summers every known – all the crops secured without much expence.

            Consequently the prices very low as follows this month:

            Wheat   6/6

            Beans    4/3

            Barley   3/3

            Potatoes per120lb    2/0

            and Bread 4lb for  6d.

 

1843  May and June  Weather Very Wet

All May Month was very Wet so that the Potatoe land coud not be brought to work and what potatoes were planted was put in a Rough unkindly state so that many acres was ploughed up again being so rotten by the Rain – and the Hemp ground could not be sown being so wet and the 2nd and 5th days of June we had such heavy Rains that Hundreds of Acres of Mowing Grass was so Flooded that it was not worth mowing.  We have had an extraordinary Apple Blossom this year yet the Rain was so constant that we do not expect a full crop of Apples.

1843 June 24th     George Willy, Saml Realon and Tolley began mowing our grass being 13½ acres on Saturday the 17th and this day being the following Saturday we finished Hauling – we never had so much so much grass or swath and never had less rain as it only rained a little on the Sunday – I calculate 25 tons.

1843  WHEAT EXTRAORDINARY

Aug 16     The Harvest being late this year and not generally good I have an extraordinary good piece in South-field Furlong being 5½ acres, called the Alberts White, although 2 year Wheat and after potatoes there was scarce one sheaf down in all the furlong and from 5 to 5½ feet long in general, but I brought home one stem being a little above the others that measured SIX FEET. I fully expect 300 Bushels when thrashed.