Wednesday, 14 November 2012

A Farm Journal ~ from the 16th to the 30th June 1867

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.]

In this photo John is fourth from the left. My great great grandparents, Ebenezer and Hannah Bowman, are the third and fourth adults from the right. John and Ebenezer were brothers and their parents are the elderly couple in the middle, Henry and Mary Bowman.

The Bowman family

"A Farm Journal"continues :~
1 - 16 Fine
2 - 17 Ditto dull but warmer finish[e]d all turnip sowing
3 - 18 Fine day pulling thistles out of corn
4 - 19 showery ditto
5 - 20 Fine ditto
6 - 21 Fine shearing hogs
7 - 22 Fine day warm  shearing hogs fin[ishe]d Lane lot pull[in]g thistles - things doing pretty well 2 ch a day at each place
1 - 23 Fine
2 - 24 Ditto B[akewe]ll market open for Cattle a lot of all sorts & dear sheep dull sale - bo[ugh]t 10 store pigs 28/-
3 - 25 Fine shearing good clip of wool Irish thinning swedes
4 - 26 Ditto
5 - 27 Ditto
6 - 28 Ditto
7 - 29 Ditto Fin[ishe]d shearing
1 - 30 Ditto Irish came
I have no idea what "2 ch" refers to on the 22nd June 1867.  

6 comments:

  1. Could it be a chain length,as it is an old measure.Pulling thistles sounds a prickly job.Ann

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    1. It could be a chain length Ann but isn't a chain a distance rather than an area ? As for the thistles I would rather lop them than pull them.

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  2. Shearing hogs?? I thought sheep were sheared, not hogs?

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    1. A hog is a pig as well as a yearling sheep ... though not at the same time.

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  3. Irish??? is that a worker or an adjective? I love these diaries Charlie. THey are much better than a movie to help me go back in time.

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    1. He's used it before Karyn. I think he's referring to the Irish workers ... and I'm glad you're enjoying the diaries. I have so much more to blog about.

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