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« on: Friday 31 March 06 13:59 BST (UK) »
I have noticed a fair bit of uncertainty regarding the Rural Occupations and other terms. I therefore decided to set up this Topic to answer specific points that keep cropping up time and time again. At the same time try to add some little snippets of social history information as we go along. Hopefully other people will add to this also and we will get a usefull resource for everyone.
Cottager, Cottar, Cottier and other variants
The only people to be given a tied cottage were married, otherwise they would either live with the farmer, with a Cottager, or on big farms in the Bothy. Frequently a farmer would refer to having, for example, 5 men, a boy and 2 cottagers when referring to the strength of his work force. The boy would often refer to one of the cottagers son's, if not the boy would almost certainly be 12 - 16 years old (roughly) and would live in the "Big House."
Usually a Bothy was a single room which would be shared by a number of men, these men may well eat in the "Big house" but would live and sleep in the Bothy. This is where the Bothy Ballads come from, a group of men entertaining each other by singing these songs. In Scotland and parts of Northern England the bothy contained a chest of draws the top draw of which was ALWAYS given over to porridge which was left to go cold and set, this would be sliced by the men to be carried with them during the day to be eaten at "Fly time" morning / afternoon break and possibly dinner (lunch). The draw contained enough porridge for all the men for a whole week. The other draws were for the mens clothes, as you would expect.
The Cottager was seen as a promotion or step up from the bothy and frequently meant that a man in the Bothy who got married would find himself at the next Hirings fair looking for a new farmer to work for. The cottager was also paid more and usually had perks, such as Coal, Potatoes, milk and a supplement if they had to keep a dog for their job. Partically because of the "extras" and the number of houses a farmer had available for cottagers, rather than any problem with the man as a worker. Another common thing with cottagers was that they were paid at the hiring for 6 months work and would receive nothing else until the time of the next hiring. If either the cottager or the farmer did not want the cottager to remain at the farm for longer than six months he would be out looking for work at the next hiring. When employed by a new farmer he would send a horse and cart to the "Old farm" to collect the cottager and his belongings this was referred to as "Flitting day." Which is a term still in use in many parts of Britain today for the day you move house.
The Bothy man would have to finish his term of employment regardless of when he got married. The hirings were in May and November, and if a man married in the June he would Not be able to set up home with his wife until after the November Hirings. This is why in the Census records you will find a number of Married individuals either living in someone else's house (be it employer or parents) and their spouse doing the same. Indeed this happened in my own family as recently as my grandparents in 1935. The same was true of women who were in domestic service at the time of their wedding, because women were also frequently taken on at hirings. Although there was a bit more word of mouth regarding the need for domestic servants possibly because any women who fell pregnant would be automatically be fired. A good employer may find her some where else to go and work, but rarely would they allow a permit them to stay.
I have seen some confusion over the term Hind
1) A Domestic Servant
I can honestly say that I have Never come across Hind being used in this way.
2) A Farm Steward,
Again I have not heard Hind used in this way either, but I can see how this could conclusion could be drawn.
3) A skilled Agricultural Labourer,
Well in short there is no such thing as an unskilled Agricultural Labourer, so this does not really make much sense.
Ok, less of what a Hind is not and more about what a Hind is, put simply a Hind is a Farm Worker who is responsible for the care of the working horses and actually working them. Tasks such as ploughing, harrowing, leading hay, etc.. are all jobs under taken by the Hind.
It is unlikely that a Hind was charged with other animals unless he was working on a small farm. He would have too much work to do with the Horses and caring for their equipment, Harnesses, Yokes, Bridles, etc...
Grieve
This is a farm stewart, foreman, manager.
I hope you found this of interest and some use in someones family history. I have made a start, anyone want to add. I should say that my "Expertise" is in Scotland and the North of England, other parts of Britain will have different terms and even different Uses for the same word.
Regards & Best Wishes,
Andy Stuart
(Scrumsrus)
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