Scope and Content
This transcript has been prepared by a member of the Stanton family: it is substantially correct, but there are a few errors
Some pages are missing, from 27th February 1868 to November 1868.
November 1868
………said they was quite 2s a head cheaper as the trade is very bad in London this week.
But as for the barley trade that is better. Mr Browning sold some at 52 shilling, Mr Hartop 49s 6d. But our quality is not as good as theirs. It was Father’s will to have some thrashed by hand as he thought the chaff and outings would be preserved better than thrashing by steam but as the head was good most people have thrashed a fair bit.
2nd December 1868.
At this tine we have only 5 acres of ploughing to do & that we intend manuring.
5th. Friday. I proposed giving the sheep a small piece of hay once a day, but Father did not second it. For my part I like to begin time enough before they get so low. Last year Father said they should not have corn so soon this year. I have thought the last 3 or 3 years that father seemed to grudge them the corn they have had. So this year I thought of trying a fresh plan that is not to give them any corn until he tells me & then not more than he tells me. I think then he will find out which is the best shepherd.
14th. Father and I planted 5 young apple trees in Brookend orchard, had 1 or 2 died so planted these in their room.
17th I went to St Neots Market & sold 6 quarters of wheat 18shillings net to Mr Elgood of Eaton, at 51s 6p a qtr. £15.9.
19th I went to Bedford Market and sold 7 quarters of barley to Mr Pedley of Barford at 47s 6d a qtr. £16. 12. 6.
Men are having 11s a week for labour, we are now giving 2s. 6d a quarter for thrashing barley.
24th December 1868.
Began to give the sheep corn 1 peck of beans in chaff. They had not anything but barley straw up to this time. I killed 1 today with liver complaint 1 lamb in it. So now we have only 28 left.
Christmas Eve.
We was aroused from sleep by Isaac and Harry Manning from Woodford. They promised if they came they would write, they posted a letter on 22nd but we did not get it until 26th which was to late.
28th. In the evening Harry and I went from one end of the farm to the other for a walk which took us just half and hour and then went to a prayer meeting at Mr Taylors.
30th They returned home by the Kimbolton line.
January 2nd. (1869)I went to Bedford market to fetch the money for corn which I sold a fortnight ago. Amount £32: 1: 6.
9th. Father and I went to Bedford market. I sold 6 ½ qtrs of wheat at 52s to Mr Elgood of Eaton Mills. Amount £16: 16. Father he asked Mr Cranfield of Harrowden if his farm was to be let. He said there was not any notice at present on either side, although he had had several applicants for it. Mt George Hamlin is the present tenant. I had heard that he was going to have 1 more harvest so I wished father to speak to the Landlord about it before it was to late. The Farm is at Keysoe Row it is cold clay land, it is in midling condition. It is between 60 and 70 acres I believe. So I wanted father to take it for me. Rebekah and he told Mother that if we had it he should not have anything to do with it so I suppose it fall into my hands.
14th I went to St Neots Market and sold 6 ½ quarters or barley at 50s : 6d. A qtr. To Mr Logsdon. The trade was lower, I had shown it to 3 or 4 before I went to him and could not get only 49s for it. I thought before I started I should get 52s for it so I asked him 53s. But I thought if anything I gave way to much. But he told them at the close of the market that 51s : 6d was the highest price he had given today. Then I felt better satisfied.
20th Finished manuring for beans at Brookend. It was but a slight frost so it cut the land a good deal.
20th. Rebekah sold 13 fowls today for £1 12s & 2 hens for 2s : 2d which amounts to £1 . 14. 2. So I think she has done pretty well.
21st I went to St Neots Market and bought a new pair if setter gears 17 lbs at 4 - 5 a pound. Finished ploughing for beans at Church End.
25th Thrashed the second wheat stack with Mr Desborough’s Machine. & bit of barley had------ thrashing 6 ½ hours. Charged -------.
28th Finished ploughing for beans at Brookend. I am giving the sheep 4 and a half pecks of split beans.
January 30th. I went to Bedford market and sold 6 quarters of wheat, 62 lbs to Mr Green at 48s a quarter. It was not in very good condition. I also sold 6 quarters of Barley to Mr White at 52s a qtr. Then Mr Green wanted me to sell 8 quarters of Barley for him he said he could not get more then 46s 6d. A qtr. I then sold it to Mr Pedley of Barford for 47s. I also bid Mr Harrison of Staughton moor 32s a load for some beans for seed but he would not take it & as I did not give him any more so I did not buy them.
2 nd February. Turned Charles Stapleton away.
10th Drilled the 4 acre bit Dun peas 9 inches 14 cog. Put on about 3 bushels 3 pecks to the acre which went in well.
15th Began to set beans at Brookand with single dib, 16 inches apart. It does not do well on account of having so little frost, the bottom end is very stiff.
17th Began to drill beans at Church End these are the small beans, Drilling them 12 inches apart with the 14 cog. Put about 3 bushels to the acre. Have about 4 acres of these
20th Began lambing the first ewe brought 1 lamb.
20th Father went to Bedford market and sold 7 quarters of barley to Jabez Paine at 49s
a qtr. It was fellow barley to that I sold three weeks ago at 52s and thrashed at the same time. I think it would be very wise of us if we knew when it made a good price & sold it instead of keeping until Markets were lower. I thought if it had been mine I would not have sold it at the price but run the risk a little longer.
21st. Had 1 ewe brought 2 lambs & 1 brought 3 and all alive.
22nd Finished bean seeding at Church End. Drilled them all the last 17 in. 12 cog.
23rd Finished bean seeding at Brookend give 5s 6d an acre. Men are now having 10s a week.
27th Began to scuffle the tilthe for barley.
March 1st. Finished and began to drill, done about 4 acres with the 20 cog done pretty well.
Today I began to give the sheep 1 bushel of bean. When they are ground which is 1 pint for each before they are ground & that is not so much where there is many twins. When we had 11 sheep lambed they had brought just 20 lambs but only 18 now living.
4th March.
Finished barley seeding but it was not hardly dry enough where we scuffled the last day as it had been some rain the night before we scuffled it.
13th I went to Bedford market and sold 9 qtrs of wheat 62 lbs at 43s a qtr to Charles Eve. If I had been wise enough to have sold it all when I sold some fellow to it to Mr Green 6 weeks ago this lot would have made 45s more. But neither of us wanted to sell it all once. I heard one of our neighbours say that he had got a lot he had been keeping the same & now he did not know what to do.
23rd. Bonny foaled with filly foal.
25th Found the foal dead but was not surprised.
26th Being Good Friday I drove to Sharnbrook. Rebekah ( Aged 19 years) and Emma (Aged 15 years) went too. Mr Whale of London preached 2 sermons in the Baptist Chapel there was tea too.
27th Finished lambing have 28 ewes brought 48 lambs now living.
Manured the top part of Barn Close
31st. Began wheat hoeing at both places. I borrowed Mr Hartops clod crusher and done the tilthe wheat twice over with it which I an in hopes will do it good it being very light.
1st April 1869.
Set the hurdles on the seeds which took about 13 dozen but never mended one.
2nd Turned the sheep on the seeds which are thin but there is a good deal of wheat some places which appears to me to be old. Having given the seep 3 half pecks of beans & 3 of maize & 1 peck of bean flour lately which I think is good for 28 ewes but shall tale them off a little now.
6th Sold a foal skin & lamb skin for 2 shillings, but don’t know the worth of it as I have never sold one nor see one sold before.
9th. Finished cutting the lambs tails.
12th Emerson bid Father 21s each for 9 pigs, 10 weeks old today. There is one small one and two not so large as the others.
15th I went to St Neots market and bought ½ cwt of clover seed. Give 35s for it & 4 bushels of Pacey Grass at 4s 6d a bushel, which we intend sowing Church field with, which is 6 acres.
16th Father sold Emerton the 9 pigs at £1. 2. 6 each. We have another littler of 11 not quite so old. I have given them to much corn so that they have become crampy and
not saleable. But there is another thing belongs to it, the sty is to small once they have
been too much confined.
17th I went to Mr Church of Bolnhurst to but some maize bought 2 quarters at 32s. But had to fetch them from Sharnbrook Station.
22nd Drilled nearly four acres of ryegrass in the Church Field with the 34 cog had 4 bushel of Pacey bents. But as we had not yet enough Father borrowed 1 bushel of Italian Ryegrass from Mr Hartop so altogether we put on 5 bushels.
May 26th.
I sowed about 4 acres of clover in Church Field which is for sheep keep had ½ cwt,
27th Father sold Emerton 2 steers. £10 each which he bought last year, 4th may for £13. 5s for the two.
28th Began bean hoeing and peas too. 30th Finished wheat hoeing. Give 3s. 3d an acre.
Mat 1st. Turned the milking cow out to grass & two barron heifers. The two calves have been out about a fortnight & two yearling sturks (?) I have not give the sturks anything for about a week.
2nd Turned the filly out to grass.
3rd Used the last barley straw up.
5th Finished bean thrashing so we shall not have any more thrashing before harvest. We have not more than 4 loads of beans left.
April 24th. Thrashed the last wheat stack with Mr Desborough’s machine thrashing 4 hours. Charged 14s hour.
May 6th. I went to St Neots Fair and took a sample of mixed wheat in good condition for which I was bid 44s 6d, 18 st. nett. Had to take nearly a pottle out of some of the sacks. I don’t know whether I done wrong in not selling.
11th Carted the manure out of the sheep yard which we intend putting in the ----
12th. Let the cows and filly lie out at night and left off giving them corn..
11th Began bean hoeing at Church End
12th Finished pea hoeing only hoed them once. Give ---------
14th Began barley hoeing 2 men today it seems cold, I felt sorry for the letting the cows lie out and taking the corn off. I am afraid the cow will not milk quite so well and the filly may perhaps sink, although we have a fair lot of grass.
15th Father sold Emerton the 11 pigs which are 14 weeks old at 22s each. They are most of them better of the cramp but there are 2 or 3 a that will be some time before they get right. I think we tried a wise plan with them, I left off giving them corn did not give any corn, nothing but Dan and Barley meal.
Father also sold 9 loads 3 bushels of the wheat at 23s . 6d a load to Mr Fuller of Bedford.
21st Used the last bean straw up.
24th Began to mow tares for the horses. They are a fair crop but are not old enough.
June 2nd. Began to hoe Church End beans they seem thin.
4th. Finished shearing, only had 27 and 1 pelt. I think our wool is not so good this year as it is in a general way although the sheep have been having ½ a bushel of corn up to shearing. Father noticed 1 fleece that he thought was a good one he weighed it, it weighed only 10 lbs. He weighed another that weighed over 11 lbs. The ewes are both sucking at this time. Finished hoeing Brookend beans the second time over, hoed them by the day.
5th Finished hoeing potatoes.
8th Began fallow which is not very hard we are coping it with three horses & the wooden beam plough. I am giving the horses 1 peck of maize between them.
9th Left off giving the ewes corn & give them tares in the cribs. But don’t feel inclined to leave off giving it to the lambs, so I set a pen with two troughs in it kept a place where the lambs would get out when they thought well & then drove the ewes & lambs in together & then put the ewes out. Then I gave the lambs 3 pottles of ground corn & some bran with it which they eat up in a short time.
11th June. 1869
Today Father went to Kimbolton & Daniel was in top field where mother thought he was safe as he often goes there for 2 or 3 hours at a time, but by some means or other he managed to get over the hedge and started off to Bedford. Some people saw him pass along the Row. A girl went and told mother & she sent her to me, I had been to plough in the morning did not get home till 10 minutes to 2 o’clock, therefore it thought it best not to have the horse as they are at fallow every day which is hard work for them. I started off to walk but not with much intent of going to Bedford, was in hopes of lighting of him at Bolnhurst but not so, I had to go to Bedford. I started 5 minute before 5 o’clock, walked all the way, got there at 20 minutes to 8 o’clock, I found that he went through the Putnoe gate about an half an hour before me but when I got to Bedford I could not hear anything of him, so therefore I knew not where to go. I thought it best to see some of the Police so I went down the High Street but had to go to the Bridge before I found one & then could not get any information. Then turned back up the street and down Silver Street into Harpur Street where I found another but could not hear anything of him. This Constable advised me to go to Mr Grahams, Superintendent of the county police as he would tell his men before they went out, as he said they should be sure to find him if he was in town before morning. Went from Harpur Street to Mill Street from there to grove place where graham lives, he also advised me to go to the Goldington Gate to see it he had passed there, could not hear anything of him there. While I was there a man with a cart from Girtford who was going past the jail, so he give a ride which I was very thankful for as we was going along Dame Alice Street, met Daniel coming towards home so I could not tell how far he had been. This was about 9 oclock & as we had nothing since dinner I went to a shop door & bought 4 pennyworth of buns for us to eat, then started off home without going in anywhere. Got home about half past 11 oclock so you may think I was tired.
15th Drove mother and Rebecca to Perry to the tea meeting. Took the cart to Mr P. Whitmee’s where we had an invitation to dine but did not. Mr Brisham of Woodford preached a sermon in the afternoon after which there was a collection. After that we had tea under a shed which was a very cold place although the wind was at the back. After tea 11 of us young friends took a walk to Gaines Lodge. There was Rebecca and I, 2 Mr Days, & Mr W. Narrot of Great Staughton, 2 Miss Whitmores of Perry, 2 Miss Smiths of Dillington, & 2 Miss Ekins of Great Staughton. We had a beautiful walk through Duberlys garden. I enjoyed myself very much until we left the chapel at night. Had supper at Mr Whitmee’s then returned home which was a very rough journey, the wind meeting us and rained. I had a menlin hat on, which had to be held on. I think I did not leave go of it for 5 minutes all the way home. Once I let go to hit the horse & the wind took it off so that I had to get out & when we got home my hands were awful cold.
16th Finished moulding potatoes up.
19th Sold 2 fat lambs 30s each, 2 ditto 27s each, 2 ditto 21s each these have not laid in the close & the seeds were very thin but have ploughed most of them up.
21st Began haytime mowed Brookend lays have a fair crop. The weather has been very showery lately so we shall not mow the other until it is more settled.
22nd Dipped 37 lambs but don’t know what for, after mixing the stuff we looked for a tick or two caught 6 or 7 lambs but did not find 1. I helped to dip them all but never found 1 tick.
Sold the wool had 1 skin fleece & 27 ewes all brought lambs. These 28 fleeces weighed 6 cwt 27 lbs sold it to W. Green of Greensbury at 32s each. I was in two minds about buying it to speculate but don’t know whether it will get dearer or no.
25th Finished fallow ploughed 6 acres with 1 share.
26th Finished haytime at Brookend.
July 1st. Began to plough the fallow across shall not give the horse anything but tares.
5th Finished haytime the weather was very slow but fine. The crop good give 2s. 9p an acre.
9th Sold 35 lambs at £1 each all twins but 2 have only one left which was hurt through cutting. Have had corn all the time.
9th Finished ploughing across. 12th began to scuffle. 3rd Father went to Bedford market & sold 13 loads of wheat 18 stone at 29s a load, £18.17.
10th Finished hoeing beans the second time over give 5s an acre.
17th I drove a barren cow to Bedford & put her in the sale, sold bad she has been dry for weeks has had plenty of keep & is in good condition only had 1 calf, made £15. 10. I had orders to bring a downcalving one home but the two that I had the most thought about, I did not have the chance to buy so therefore I did not bring one.
I bought 4 quarters of maize of Mr Church of Bolnhurst at 32s. 6d a qtr. At Sharnbrook Station.
After I got home Father went to Mr Browning & bought a cow downcalving with the scun calf.
23rd Finished mowing tares which were winter tares.
24th Finished ploughing tareland up but this is not on the fallow, it is quite hard enough. Turned the horses in Church Close in the afternoon & the ewes at night.
26th Began to mow peas have a midling crop of straw, but they have the fly so the pods have not filled well.
29th Finished. Give 2s. 6d an acre.
Had a sow pigged a week before the time with 10 pigs was most of these dead & the rest have died. Had a cow calved in the week I threw the clean on the dunghill in the close, since we have done tares I let the sows out to grass I found them eating the clean but did not tell Father as I did know whether that had any effect on the sow or not. A fortnight ago the other sow pigged with 2 but only 1 alive so we have only one pig with 2 sows. This is a loss as pigs are very dear & we have only one more pig which is nearly fat. Father intends trying both sows on again.
29th Father bid Eli £8 for a Gilt and 6 pigs one week old he wanted 10s more so he took here to St Neots & put her in the sale where they bid £8 but made a dispute & then was sold for £7. 15s.
August 2nd. Weaned the pig which is 3 weeks old. This morning I took a walk across the bean field and I see they have the fly. I examined them and found them very bad. The small tick appear to have it the worst. I tried to calculate what they would produce to the acre. I think it will average about 12 bushels per acre. 4 acre of small
tick & about 6 acres of the others.
3rd. There being an excursion on the Kimbolton Line to Hunstanton & back fare 4s, Mother Rebeckah & I & Miss Robins went. Left Kimbolton 52 minutes past 6 in the morning, due at Hunstanton at 30 minutes to 10. It is a village or rather a small town, but a nice little place, it is not a seafront town, when we had been in the sands to look at the sea we went to a house & there had some tea this was with our lunch. We rode in the van carriage as the Kimbolton people they were very good company, very social, very lovely & very respectable. I enjoyed the day very much it was a pleasant journey, should not have liked it so well if the Kimbolton party had not been there. I thought as we were going I should like to go in the sea but the day was rather windy when I saw it. I thought I was the safest off & thought it so cold for bathing though a great many did bathe so I neither went in nor on. Started home 30 minutes past 6 arrived at Kimbolton 20 minutes before 10. They say its 95 miles from Kimbolton, was not in the least tired of the journey but thought I should like to keep in until morning
There is a very high cliff along one way of the sands & on the high hill is a light house where we went up 75 steps but the day was dull so we could not have a good view of the sea.
5th Went to plough pea land for John Johns which was very hard he called it about 3 roods we was one day & 2 hours ploughing it & then scuffled it before he carted the peas so I think he was early with it
7th Carted the peas put them in the barn they was in very fair order. Wheat the harvest of 1868 produced. Some of the wheat I have neglected to bank so therefore I cannot give an account.
Had about 7 acres of barley which produced 41 quarters 3 bushels.
Had 3 acres of peas which produced 18 loads 1 bushel.
Has 6 acres of beans at Churchend which produced about 25 loads 2 bushels.
Had about 3 roods of tares which produced 2 loads.