A Farm Journal ~ from the 17th to the 27th May 1870

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby, until the end of January 1870 when he moved to Sandycroft Farm, Queensferry, Flintshire.

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had rented 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 ...

 A Farm Journal continues :~

1 - 17 Fine & hot fallow[in]g & open[in]g drills for manure

4 - 18 Ditto began to man[u]r[e] Farm gr[oun]d far side stack y[ar]d field 

5 - 19 Ditto ditto sow[e]d 6 cwt 1/2 salt & 1/2 Lawes with Farm y[ar]d

6 - 20 Ditto fin[ished] manuring & sow[in]g swedes

7 - 21 Very hot work[in]g this side of field for lints began to shear sheep - Cha[rle]s Wright hoeing beans  1st lot of Swedes & mangolds not much up yet except here & there a few too dry for mangolds & the field rather too stiff & lumpy - beans look well & wheat improved oats look well - 4 sturks on bottom bank

1 - 22 Fine

2 - 23 Ditto lead manure onto lints sow[e]d last lot of [word indecipherable] sheep shearing

3 - 24 Ditto Ditto

4 - 25 Fine day - men hoeing beans by hand - horses turned out - sold Jones & Gerrard 60 lambs to go 8 each went @ 23/- cut little pigs - 2/6 p[e]r litter - women pricking spudding thistles among wheat - sold Jones & Co 7 fat ewes @ 8d clipped - at 8am this morn[in]g the 25th my dear Wife was del[ive]r[e]d of a fine Girl * - doing well

6 - 27 Ditto weather set John Jones & Rob[er]t Rogers & Jos[eph] Hughes No. 3 beans to hoe @ 6/- p[e]r ac[re] (too much only worth 4/-) - women spud[din]g thistles in wheat & pull[in]g Ketlocks - Cha[rle]s Wright PJones & Shalcroft hoeing No 4 beans by day - Peter Davis off work - poorly one of his horses kicked him in the stomach - 12 sturks on bottom bank & 25 Hogs - a few potatoes up in field - Swedes & mangols [sic] come very slowly want rain - all Kinds of grain & feed up a little


* The 'fine Girl' would have been Florence Bowman.

A Farm Journal ~ from the 2nd to the 16th May 1870

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby, until the end of January 1870 when he moved to Sandycroft Farm, Queensferry, Flintshire.

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had rented 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 ...

 A Farm Journal continues :~

 

No entry for the 1st May 1870.

 

2 - 2nd 5 Mo[nth] Fine dry lead man[ur]e to No 12 for Cabbage etc

 

3 Ditto - Griffiths sale at Rake - had tea & toasts in even[in]g

 

4 & 5 spreadman etc

 

6 planted Cabbage - 4 men & 2 women planted ab[ou]t 2 ac[res] masons doing fire place self to Chester for pump & pipes

 

7 Fine N.N.W. fin[ishe]d plant[in]g cabbage - pick[e]d scutch - sow[e]d rem[ainde]r of No 12 with swedes - fallow[in]g etc men doing fire place - Swedes & Mangolds 1st lot sown have been in gr[oun]d 3 1/2 weeks & are not much up

 

2 - 9 Very hot day - sow[in]g man[ur]e on Stacky[ar]d f[iel]d for swedes & fallow[in]g - borrow[e]d water cart from Wright of Copt farm to water cabbage plants gr[oun]d very dry when planted - should have put them in soil & watered & Kept till rain came - many small plants

 

3 - 10 Fine & hot sow[e]d swedes etc

 

4 - 11 Showery day W.S.E. - very acceptable - Masons finish[e]d fire place

 

5 - 12 Ditto F & I took drive out

 

6 - 13 Fine day two women picking turnip stalks off wheat & spudding thistles - fallow[in]g

 

7 - 14 Ditto 

 

1st Showery

 

2 - 16 Fine - Horse hoeing beans etc. 

I assume 'No 12' relates to a field. Were some of the fields numbered ?

  

A Farm Journal ~ from the 23rd to the 30th April 1870

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby, until the end of January 1870 when he moved to Sandycroft Farm, Queensferry, Flintshire.

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had rented 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 ...

 A Farm Journal continues :~

7 - 23 Fine weather no rain - have 5 Irish & Will[ia]m Davis extra for potato setting

1 - 24 F & M S & I to Meet[in]g

2 - 25 Fine waiting of potato sets - was disappointed by Davis of Hawarden about a truck of Scotch Down sets - so had to see out for some - men forking twitch from among beans

3 - 26 Fine carts to Argoed near Mold for some Skerry blue sets of John Griffiths @ 3/- p[e]r 90 lbs & across to the sands for some Scotch downs @ 3/-

4 - 27 Fine but desperate windy & dusty - setting potatoes - 2 teams gone to work for old Rector Davis - another load of Scotch down sets from Jos[eph] S. Windley - fin[ishe]d setting my potatoes the men have theirs to set in morn[in]g - 4 rows each to 3 plough men & Wright 2 ea[ch] to Jimmy - Rob[er]t & John Jones & Edward - working stackyard for swedes - turning manure in yards - Joiner E.Davis & son making some sheep troughs & made & put up new hatch gate for end of bank

5 - 28 fin[ished] potatoes - work[in]g rem[ainde]r for cabbage 

up to 7 day 30th Fine but dry - bro[ugh]t mare of Beckett of Peel Hall home from Chester & left the old mare with Jones & Gerrards 

A Farm Journal ~ from the 9th to the 26th March 1870

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby, until the end of January 1870 when he moved to Sandycroft Farm, Queensferry, Flintshire.

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had rented 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 ...

 A Farm Journal continues :~

4 - 9 Fine - Father better - SA & I off for Sandycroft arr[ived] Chester noon & home found all well - they had sown the lints 1 ac[re] & were on sowing the beans & 5 cwt Laws man[ure] p[e]r ac[re] 

5 - 10 Fine breezy day W. N. W. sow[in]g beans & cross cut[tin]g fallows - ewe dead - from that curious dull complaint  - scour & mouth watering - gave Godfrey & Flour grind - (Ewe lambed 2) - SA LA Sarah & I to Chester LA. to Longstone S.A. & I to buy furniture - Dodds

6 - 11 to 3 - 15 Fine sow[in]g beans bro[ther] Eben[ezer] came even[in]g

5 - 17 Showery sow[e]d oats - 13 ac[res]

6 - 18 Fine - fin[ished] sow[in]g oats & har[rowe]d Capt. Arthur's - fetch[e]d seeds fr[om] Chester 

7 - 19 to 7 - 26 Mostly fair few hail storms [word indecipherable] frost & cold N.W.Winds

3 - 23 [this date does not appear to be correct] Showery drizzle sow[e]d  Grass seeds on 13 ac[res]/roll[e]d beans & chain harr[owe]d roll[[e]d oats in lambs come very slowly - 15 E[wes] & 22 L[ambs] - had ewe torn behind & bit in fore leg by dog - she died next day (had two lambs) went with Jones - butcher of Saltney to look for some bar[ren ?] cows went round by Ruton Dodleston Broughton bo[ugh]t 3 - 2 of John Challiner 30 15/- & 1 of John Sheen 14 17/6 of Broughton 

A Farm Journal ~ 1st February 1870 to 2nd March 1870

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby, until the end of January 1870 when he moved to Sandycroft Farm, Queensferry, Flintshire.

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had rented 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 ...

 

 A Farm Journal continues :~

 

4 - 1st 2nd Mo[nth[ 1870 self worse sick all day - at night had to send for Dr. Moffat of Hawarden who reported Scarlet fever so I was booked for a season of bed - had the fever mildly & went on satisfactorily

 

7 - 4th Jesse went home again the men on the farm are plough[in]g or lead[in]g manure

 

15th I was well enough to get dress[e]d & be in the room upstairs - in another week I managed to get down stairs

 

23rd I went out for a walk 1st time & next day 5th day 24th bro[ther] W[illia]m came - was very pleased to see him - he looked round & saw about things I think nothing has gone much wrong - helped to put my a/c right

 

7 - 26 Fine bro[ther] W[illia]m left - he would call at Ashford & see F & M

 

1 - 27 to 4 day 2nd of 3 Mo[nth] - fine up to 4th day - wet - had been working land for beans & lints - 4 wet day no work on land - S.A. & Lucy Ann to Chester to shop etc - expected bro[ther] Eben[ezer] but not come - I did not get out today as it was wet - only have 1 lamb yet - the engine broke down but they are getting it mended at the works - it is a great convenience having being so near a smiths shop 

A Farm Journal ~ 20th to the 31st January 1870 ... John leaves Summer Hill

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 ...

 A Farm Journal continues :~

6 day 20 Hard frost began to get implements set out in Square at S.H. ready for sale & gears blacked etc

7 - 21 Ditto work & weather

2 day 24 Hard frost with a little snow on gr[oun]d few showers during the day

1870 1st Mo[nth] 2nd day 24 1st Sale day at Summer Hill cattle horses & carriages, had a very good sale

3 - 25 2nd days sale ditto weather implements etc - things sold well not a very large company

4 - 26 no sale

5 - 27 Ditto weather 3rd days sale furniture good sale on the whole the best furniture made the worst out -

6 - 28 Ditto weather Valuation at S.H. & packed the cart

7 - 29 Ditto weather Valuation at Cales - final - down to Ashford in evening Isaac went with me to help me carry my things

1 - 30 Fine frosty day at Ashford - to M[an]chester in even[in]g - lodged at the Cathedral Hotel & off by 6.40am

2 - 31 to Chester & on to Queens Ferry & Sandycroft Fine day Taylor-Churton & his clerk met I paid ch[eque ?] £2000 which was telegraph[e]d to Bakewell about no answer had to go to Chester arr[ive]d & rec[eive]d telegram & there was end of the transaction [word indecipherable] inventory & possessions of farm lodged at Hop Pole & to breakfast with Taylor at Grosvnor [?] & on to Sandycroft again - met our folks with the trap 12 oClock at Queens Ferry - all well - self on mare in even[in]g - to Cherry orchard to John Fishers - bo[ugh]t 10 sturks £9 each & then to Green End farm & bo[ugh]t lot of ewes £2 - 8/- & home - sore throat - sent Chas Wright with mare to meet Jesse - self worse had mustard plaster on throat - & went to bed - Jesse arr[ive]d all right very wet night did not unload so had to sleep between blankets self rolled & toss[e]d all night no sleep