SYTHESMITH

[Trees]

Does anyone know what a sythesmith did about 1720? How many sythes would an average farm require? Did the Sythesmith make both the metal and wood parts? Would he hone the blades regularly?  Would it provide work year round?

[philipsearching]

The scythesmith would have made and repaired the metal blades.  Handles would most likely have been made by other people (it wasn't a particularly skilled job to cut and shape a tree branch).  The scythesmith would have made and repaired a variety of farm tool blades - scythes, sickles, hedging tools and so on.  Sharpening was done with a whetstone by farm labourers, or perhaps on a grinding wheel if a villager owned one.

It is likely that, although his main occupation was as a scythesmith, he would have carried out other work to bring in enough money, such as repairing domestic metal objects and perhaps small-scale beermaking, general odd jobs, and growing his own vegetables.

I don't know of a website listing the numbers and types of tools on a farm c1720 - much would depend on the acreage, number of labourers, and type of farming (pasture or arable).

Philip

[Trees]

Many thanks Philip It was a surprise to get an occupation on these early baptisms which made me think it must have been something a bit special to be mentioned, and made me curious about the extent of the work.