Tuesday 30 July 2013

A Farm Journal ~ July 1869 ...

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby. 

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had three farms, One Ash Grange [which John Bayliff Bowman often referred to as O.A.], Cales and Summer Hill [which he usually referred to as S.Hill or S.H.]

John Bayliff Bowman is fourth from the left in the photo below ...
 
The Bowman family

 A Farm Journal continues :~
 
7 Mo[nth] 1st 5 day Very fine time finish[e]d all hay but 9 ac[res] by the 14th - good crops Jos[eph] & M.A. Bottomley & Eliz[abe]th Hopkins here last week on religious visit self to M[an]chester to trials of Mowers etc engaged Wilbers Eureka Mower to be sent on trial to mow Mid breck came on 3rd day the 20th worked well self to show
 
4 - 21 finish[e]d hay on 7day 24th in good condition
 
2 - 26 Fine work[in]g the Eureka for W.Bagshaw & others - dipp[e]d lambs & weaned at turnips & topping stacks etc to end of week - had hay supper - Irish leave co[u]s[in] Jos[eph] Shipley here on 6th day
 
7 - 31 Showery - but no weight of rain we want rain now - the mears are low & cows gone off their milk corn short mostly - turnips look well 

10 comments:

  1. Seems like old JBB is getting all high-tech on us!!

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  2. What a difference having a horse drawn mower,much easier than the scythe.Eureka is the right name after all the hard work mowing the fields by hand.Ann

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    1. I was pleased to have found a drawing/photo of it Ann. I wonder what the Irishmen made of it ?

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  3. Well it's good to know that the turnips looked well. LOL "Mawnin' turnip - you're lookin' well!". *chuckle*

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    1. He obviously cared about his turnips ... :-)

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  4. I love reading these entries. Their worries and work make so much sense to me....most of the time. I feel like "been there, done that" and it was so long ago. The machinery may be more refined but the jobs are the same.

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    1. Yes, life goes on. I'm often reminded of Joni Mitchell's lyrics in The Circle Game ~

      And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
      And the painted ponies go up and down
      We're captive on the carousel of time
      We can't return we can only look behind
      From where we came,
      And go round and round and round
      In the circle game ...

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