Category: Exmoor

Agricultural History Exmoor Heritage History HistoryThroughStories Life@Hoar Oak Cottage

Exmoor Extremists 1966

We are loving these recent donations to the Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage Archive of two photos from Chris Jones. The first, left, is of the cottage in 1966 when it was only recently taken over for incorporation into the Exmoor National Park Authority and Abe and Gert Antell had just been moved out. The cottage is in such good fettle, the roof in great shape as are the chimneys, doors and windows. The outbuildings are also in good shape and their roof intact. There was still no water, electric or gas laid on in 1966 but many people have expressed the wish that they could have lived there then and would happily live there again now if allowed by the ENPA. The second photo, below, tells a slightly different story…….. This is an image of a ‘poster’ found stuck on the inside walls of Hoar Oak Cottage in 1966 – again just after the cottage was purchased for inclusion in the Exmoor National Park Authority and the Antells being moved out to Black Pitts Cottage. Perhaps it was a protest against the cottage’s loss as a home and farm by these three ‘Exmoor Extremists’ and an admonition to Lynton Urban District Council to ‘Get Organised’. Who knows? Do you? Any intel would be gratefully received to get to the bottom of this intriguing bit of heritage to do with Hoar Oak Cottage and this remote part of Exmoor. You can find more archival images of the cottage as a structure in our ‘The Place Collection’ on this link https://hoaroakcottage.org/record-photos-pre-2010/. We have so many photos to share – so this is a labour of love AKA a ‘work in progress’. And we are always happy to receive more if anyone has images. We never ask for your originals – whether they are of people, buildings, animals etc – but merely for a digital copy. Thanks! Please dmail info@hoaroakcottage.org or DM through our FB or Insta pages.
Posted by Bette Baldwin
Agricultural History Exmoor Scottish Exmoor Links sheep Uncategorized

Pasturage of livestock on Exmoor

How much did it cost? The Friends continue to research the Scottish shepherds on Exmoor – how they came to be there and what their impact was.   One of the first known to arrive with a cargo of Scottish sheep was Gerald Spooner who took the lease of Winterhead Farm from John Knight in 1852.  More can be read about Spooner on this link    Gerard Spooner – hoaroak (hoaroakcottage.org)    One of the Scottish shepherds who came with Spooner was William Scott who went on to become John Knight’s Bailiff.  Recently, a research partner of The Friends, based in Scotland, found an interesting newspaper advertisement from 1865 that William Scott is advertising ‘pasturage’ on Exmoor – in other words charging farmers to take their cattle: bullocks, horses, ponies, sheep with and without lambs etc., up on to the Forest of Exmoor for a fee which ranged from 2/6 to £1 per animal.  Edward T MacDermot’s book, ‘A History of the Forest of Exmoor,’ gives an insight into this ancient practice and helps us to understand that the sale of pasturage to local farmers is a method to earn income from Exmoor which has a very long history.  McDermot records some of the charges for pasturage.  For example, in 1655, the charge would be 4d a head for sheep taken onto the Forest for pasture.  Equivalent to £1.73 in modern times.  MacDermot page 202 Knight’s purchase of the Royal Forest of Exmoor was part of an ambitious aim to introduce a modern agricultural reclamation project, but it seems the tried and true method of making the Forest pay – to charge local farmers to pasture their livestock on the moor – was still in place in 1865.  The advert from The Taunton Courier in April 1865 shows that Bailiff William Scott would be charging a fee of 2/6 a head for sheep in 1865.  Equivalent to £7.39 in modern times.  Hoar Oak Cottage began life hundreds of years ago as a one roomed shepherd’s cott used for the shepherd responsible for sheep taken up onto the hills of that part of Exmoor for the summer pasturage. MacDermot Edward T, 1973, A History of the Forest of Exmoor. Image courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive © Currency converter: 1270–2017 (nationalarchives.gov.uk)
Posted by Bette Baldwin
Agricultural History Exmoor EYA 2023 Scottish Exmoor Links sheep Sheep Farming Shepherd Little

Explore Your Archive – December 1st  2023  Hobbies

Did the occupants of Hoar Oak Cottage have hobbies? It’s very hard to imagine them having any time for hobbies.  Easier to imagine that some of the things we may consider nowadays as hobbies were part of their everyday lives – knitting for example or dipping candles or felt making or growing herbs.  However, one thing that is a characteristic of many of the shepherds at Hoar Oak is their huge interest and skill in breeding and training sheepdogs. Certainly, the sheepdog was a part of the sheep farmer’s working life, but it might be said the interest and devotion given to these dogs went beyond simple work.  Perhaps, almost a hobby. The archive is lucky to hold several photographs and digitised copies of certificates and programmes of Exmoor Sheep Dog Trials linked to the Little family and their ‘hobby’ of breeding and trialling sheepdogs.  Below is a photo of William Little of Hoar Oak trialling and the front cover of the programme for the 1976 Exmoor Sheep Dog Trials – please get in touch (info@hoaroakcottage.org) if you’d like scans of the entire programme contents. Thanks to David Little for supporting the Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage and allowing us to make surrogate copies of many of his photos, documents and sheep dog certificates and trial programmes. Dave was a descendant of one of the Scottish shepherds on Exmoor – John Little, and son of William Little who was shepherd at Hoar Oak Cottage in the 1930s.
Posted by Bette Baldwin
Exmoor History Mining Uncategorized Vellacott

Mining in the Hoar Oak Valley

Stories and memories come in many shapes and this one is from a letter sent to the Voices Project by Roger Burton well-known Exmoor heritage author and North Devon mining expert.  Roger gave generously of his time and knowledge to the Hoar Oak Cottage Voices Project and after one meet up Roger got in touch and as he describes in his letter below, “the conversation triggered off something in the back of my mind concerning a mine and mining within the close proximity of Hoar Oak (in the mid-1850’s) which I had written up for the Exmoor Mine Research Group newsletter in July 2004.”

There is a long history of mining on Exmoor – well told elsewhere in books such The Heritage of Exmoor by Roger Burton; The Reclamation of the Exmoor Forest by Orwin and Sellick; The West Somerset Mineral Railway by Sellick to name but three.  However, this story starts with Roger reviewing letters from the Knight family estate which had been deposited in the Somerset Records Office in Taunton.

For the Knights, there was a strong desire to find other sources of income from Exmoor and mining was clearly considered a good option to pursue. This little collection of notes made by Roger Burton from estate managers’ letters from the Knight family collection relate to their attempts to resurrect an old mine at Hoar Oak which had already been used and abandoned by the 1850s.  A letter dated January 9th, 1856 states that:

“The mines at Hoar Oak have difficult ground to encounter but we are in hope of cutting the lode very shortly, the old lode has been cleared and the lode looks remarkably well. Vellacott* has cut through the lode which is showing it at the angle where Comer made his rapid turn to the east and it is 7’ to 8’ thick in clay, but has not seen any small stones of iron.”

Read more about the Vellacott family and their association with Hoar Oak Cottage here.

The next report is dated January 12th, 1856 and mentions that “Captain Morcambe and Trelease (Combe Martin Mine Captains) were at Hoar Oak yesterday. They were pleased with the appearance of the neighbourhood. The first cut old level is an unfortunate affair; it is run in again and some of the timber has given way. I have decided upon adopting the new level so far as it has been driven and then carry on a new level on the lode which is running north of Comers first or old level. The upper level is still going through hard ground; it will take many fathoms to reach the upper clays.”

By January 17th, 1856 it is being recorded that “They can’t take the timbers out of the first level; we are driving on north side without any timber” and on January 23rd that “The new level going well and 6 ft deeper than the old one” and on February 4th that “The Hoar Oak Miners driving new level at the Old Works the first one had nearly run together so no one could reach the end.” On February 12th it is reported that “The men are almost at the end” and by February 23rd that “Hoar Oak has reached old lode and there they well made a cross-cut to old mind workings.”

A sketch of the mine workings at Hoar Oak – included in a letter dated February 23rd 1856 – was included by Roger Burton in his notes to the Friends.  Although perhaps not very clear to us, it was no doubt very clear to the Mine Captains of 1856 what was being portrayed.

As mentioned on the sketch, the approximate location of the Hoar Oak Mine is at SS744 431 which puts it on the west side of the Hoar Oak Water and about 500 metres south of Hoar Oak Cottage.  Its intriguing to consider how much noise and disruption this mine would have caused the occupants of Hoar Oak Cottage.  Its not easy to pin down who was likely to be living at the cottage during the years of mining but it spans the 1850s which covers the occupation of the Moule family,  John Vellacott and then Mr Taylor.  It is entirely possible that the cottage – owned at that time by the Vellacotts and used to house their shepherds – may well have lain empty during this flurry of mining work.  It may have even been used to billet the miners in.  But if it was occupied by one of the shepherd families did the miners and other workmen benefit from cups of tea from the shepherd’s wife?  Maybe even a hot meal now and then?  Or were they just a nuisance to the Hoar Oak occupants trying to get on with their lives as sheep farmers and agricultural workers?  The letter from Roger Burton, including his notes taken in the Somerset Records Office, does actually mentions that ‘Vellacott had cut through the lode’ so perhaps one of the Vellacott family were actively trying to encourage this mining enterprise by doing some preliminary work for the Knights to establish the old mine at Hoar Oak could be made viable.   It would have been a much richer source of income than simple sheep farming.  The extract from the old map below – Ordnance Survey Maps – National Library of Scotland (nls.uk) – shows the site of the mining works identified by ‘iron workings’, ‘adits’, ‘spoil heaps’ etc below Gammon’s Corner.

On February 23rd 1856, it is recorded that “Hannay visited Hoar Oak and was pleased with clays and ores in the sample room. Lode of clay and ironstone is 5 ft wide.” Roger Burton tells us that this Hannay is almost certainly from Schneider and Hannay and a quick Google search shows them to be an active mining concern, Schneider, Hannay & Co,  in the mid-1800s.  Burton also notes that the Hoar Oak Mine formed part of the sett* leased to Schneider and Hannay on the April 3rd, 1856 but there is no evidence that that mining company ever actually worked the Hoar Oak mine and that, in fact, all previous work there had been carried out by employees from the Exmoor Estate.  Perhaps that is where the ‘Vellacott’ referred to comes in.

* A ‘mining sett’ is a legal term – traditionally used in Devon and Cornwall – referring to land exploited for mining.

On March 29th, 1856 it is recorded that there were “4 men driving at Hoar Oak Upper level” and on April 14th, 1856 a final note says “Hoar Oak works stopped.”   Roger Burton completes his letter to the Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage by saying: “It is obvious from the reports on the mine at Hoar Oak that mining had been carried out there in earlier times but, of that earlier mining, there is no record.”

The records of the Exmoor Mining Research Group – in which Roger Burton often published his researches – were lodged in the Somerset Records Office in 2014 and the Friends are planning to spend some time looking through them to try and find a few more gems of information to share about mining at Hoar Oak Cottage.  On this link it is possible to find a further bibliography and searchable database of mines on Exmoor. A recent research project, more on this link,  jointly delivered by Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, has investigated, amongst other things, the impact of Knight and his mining exploits on Exmoor and it is hoped this research will be made public soon.

Posted by Bette Baldwin
Exmoor Fauna Nature Uncategorized

The Wild Red Deer of Exmoor

The wild red deer that roam freely across Exmoor can frequently be found browsing around Hoar Oak Cottage although with their excellent camouflage you often need sharp eyes to spot them.  More often they see, hear or smell you first and your only view is of them running into the far distance.  However, there is no lovelier sight, especially when watched through the old parlour window just as the shepherd families must have done all those years ago.  For the shepherds, the deer would have been a mixed blessing.  They would, no doubt, admire their beauty but it would be tempered with the thought of losses of the precious and limited crops they were able to grow in the garden.

Red deer live in separate sex herds for most of the year, they come together during the autumn for the rut when the stags fight one another for claim of the females, the hinds.  The stags are at their most vocal then with a deep, guttural call (belling); this can be heard from some distance and helps would-be deer watchers to locate them.  Stag fights usually consist of little more than intimidation – when they spar, the heads are lowered and the antlers lock together.  It is mostly push and shove, a trial of strength, although the sound of antlers clashing can sometimes be heard. Injuries are fairly uncommon but not unknown.  When  the rut is over the herds separate once more.  The hinds give  birth in early summer to spotted and well-camouflaged calves.  They are remarkably difficult to locate for the hind grazes some distance away and the calf remains concealed for much of the day.

A lesser known fact about the stags is that they shed their antlers each year to grow new, larger ones.  The antlers are cast about April and begin to regrow immediately becoming fully grown three to four months later.  During that time they are protected by a soft, membrane – the ‘velvet’  and any damage to the horn is very painful.  By the time of the rut the antlers have shed their velvet and become hard and strong.  It is possible to find the cast antlers but they are notoriously difficult to spot.  Antler judging competitions are frequently held on the moor and is a good way of seeing close-up the difference in size and weight.

Exmoor is famed for its hunting and, although a contentious issue, continues to be a popular attraction whether on horse or as a car follower.  Exmoor’s origin as a Royal Forest has meant that the deer have always been hunted and it is probably because of the restrictions imposed by the Crown until the mid-1800s that Exmoor’s red deer descend from completely wild stock.  Whatever one’s opinion on the subject, the hunting records gives us much information including referrals to the Hoar Oak valley.  We can be reasonably confident that on Saturday April 7th 1945 the Hoar Oak shepherd family would have been watching with some excitement as the staghounds “…cast right up to Hoar Oak running fast up the water nearly to the county boundary…”

The Wild Red Deer of Exmoor, part of a series of blog posts exploring the flora and fauna that surrounds Hoar Oak Cottage.

Posted by Bette Baldwin
Exmoor Flora Heritage Nature Uncategorized

The Hoar Oak Tree

There has been a Hoar Oak Tree from time immemorial, marking the boundary between the Royal Forest of Exmoor and Brendon Common.  The term ‘Royal Forest’ denoted a hunting ground or ‘waste’ belonging to the Crown; more often a treeless area and not as we understand the word forest to mean now.  According to McDermot, writing in the early part of the twentieth century, the original tree fell in 1658 and a replacement was planted close by soon after.  This survived until 1916 when the tree now standing was planted.  Despite being over 100 years old this tree remains small and stunted due to the poor soil conditions and the harsh and exposed upland climate.  However, despite its appearance it is healthy and remains in fine condition.

At the time of the First World War, Bill Hobbs was the shepherd living at Hoar Oak Cottage; when he went to war John Jones, his brother-in-law, temporarily took his place.  There is no evidence that either men planted the replacement tree but they certainly would have been aware of its planting.

The Hoar Oak Tree, as has been seen, has a long and important history and is marked on several maps including the current Ordnance Survey.  It also featured on the Ordnance Survey map of 1890 and before that (as Ore Oak) on the Benjamin Doon map of 1765.  An even earlier reference to Whore Oake Ball dates to 1651.

Extensive, natural oak woods do thrive on Exmoor along the coastal belt and also at Horner.  The coastal oak woods are renowned for their wildlife and rare plant communities; the relentless gales and poor growing conditions have also stunted their growth but in a very different way to that of the Hoar Oak Tree.

Oaks are a valuable resource for wildlife.  One of the most common yet overlooked sights are the Spangle galls created by tiny parasitic wasps.  Each gall hosts a larva that is feeding on the leaf tissue beneath it and a single leaf can carry very many galls.  In the autumn the larvae fall to the ground before the leaves and complete their growth cycle protected by the leaf litter, emerging in early spring.  Despite the huge numbers of galls an oak tree can carry the larvae do very little damage.

Regardless of its diminutive size, the Hoar Oak Tree continues to be an important Exmoor landmark.   Situated just yards upstream, it also stands as a living link to the shepherds of Hoar Oak Cottage and their families.

 

 

The Hoar Oak Tree of Exmoor, part of a series of blog posts exploring the flora and fauna that surrounds Hoar Oak Cottage.

 

Posted by Bette Baldwin
Exmoor Flora Nature Uncategorized

Heather on Exmoor

The vast tracts of open heather moorland are one of Exmoor’s glories.  At the height of its flowering in August, the moors seem washed with purple although on closer inspection the flowers vary in colour from darker shades through to pale lavenders and pinks.  The colour variation is partly due to the age of the flower but also to the species.  On Exmoor, all three species can be found: Bell Heather Erica cinerea, Common Heather (also known as Ling) Calluna vulgaris and Cross-leaved Heath Erica tetralix.

For the Scottish shepherds of Hoar Oak Cottage, the view from the parlour window would have not been dissimilar to their home in the Southern Uplands.  Was the sight of the heather hillside in full flower a comforting memory of a distant land or a trigger for home-sickness?  Perhaps they brought with them their traditional uses for the plants – making brooms, stuffing mattresses or as a herbal remedy for coughs and as a general tonic.  In the Highlands, heather was also used as roof insulation material but as the cottage was provided by their employer it is highly unlikely that this would have been carried out at Hoar Oak; no evidence of this was uncovered during the recent stabilising of the ruins.

To find out more of heather, or indeed many of the everyday aspects of the past life of Exmoor, it is often necessary to read through old books to glean information.  One of our favourite sources is Red Deer, written by Richard Jefferies in 1884.  About heather he mentions several things that we may have not appreciated such as how, when the weather is hot and dry, “the brittle, woody stems of the heather wear out the stoutest boots quickly.”  He also describes the burning (“swaling”) of the heather each spring.

Swaling, which appears to be a West Country dialect word, is now tightly controlled by legislation but the principal of deliberate burning the moorland vegetation to promote regeneration dates back centuries.  Recent research has found burnt deposits buried deep in the peat layers dating from the medieval period (source: ENPA).  Swaling, like many other farming practices is carried out on a rotational basis over a number of years.  In this way, there are heather plants ranging in age from the tasty, young growth of the newly burned providing food for the deer, ponies and sheep, and older growth giving cover and shelter to birds and other wildlife.  For more information on swaling and the results of recent research visit this link.

Heather on Exmoor, part of a series of blog posts exploring the flora and fauna that surrounds Hoar Oak Cottage.

 

 

Posted by Bette Baldwin
#SheepBite Agricultural History Exmoor Scottish Exmoor Links Sheep Farming Uncategorized

#SheepBite

It is said that Eskimos have a hundred words for snow.  Exmoor shepherds may have had as many for sheep.

Some will have been in common use in Scotland and some on Exmoor, others used elsewhere in the country.  It would be intriguing to know, when the Scottish shepherds brought their #SheepBite words with them, whether any of these new terms became adopted by the Exmoor farmers.

Many #SheepBite words can still be heard on the moor today.  If you farm with sheep we’d love to know which ones you still use and what they mean.

Over the coming months we plan to add more and more – why not tell us which ones are your favourites and why you like them?

With thanks to Norah Solesbury for supplying many of the words used by Scottish shepherds.

 

#Husk or Hooze

A troublesome cough in lambs caused by lungworms most commonly during wet autumn months.  Death is caused by anaemia and exhaustion, sometimes after many weeks of illness.  When coughing, the lamb with expel large numbers of the parasites into their pasture where they can live for many months and infecting others grazing there.  Shepherds used a mix of turpentine and milk with variable results.  Husk in older sheep was caused by a different worm, not apparent before butchering.  Now, regular worming of sheep prevents the disease.

#Braxy

Often just referred to as the Sickness, Braxy was once a common disease amongst hill sheep, usually affecting younger animals. It may have been the cause of many deaths during the winter months brought on by them eating frozen grass or root crops.  With few signs of illness before death, the carcass decays more rapidly than is usual; despite this the meat was often eaten without ill effect to human or dog. Nowadays, sheep are vaccinated against it (see #Drench, below)

#Drench

Nothing to do with the shepherds getting wet!  A drench is a liquid medicine given either as a preventative measure or as a cure.

#Drenching Horn (or, nowadays, Gun)

In the days before drenching (dosing) guns were invented, sheep drenches were given via drenching horns made from a sheep’s horn which had been cut lengthways to form a type of shallow spoon.  The drenching gun resembles a large metal syringe with a tube which is inserted far  into the sheep’s mouth.    By this means a prescribed amount of the drench is released down the sheep’s throat.

#Fluke (Liver Fluke)

A parasitic flatworm that completes its life cycle within sheep causing liver damage and in severe cases, sudden death from haemorrhage.  Most commonly found in wetter areas as the host is a minute mud snail and, as a consequence is normally more problematic in especially wet years  – such as those of 1860-61 and 1879-1880 when over three million sheep died nationally.  However, fluke can be transferred to drier pasture by infected animals.  Now treated by drugs; in the past, herbal remedies may have been used with varying degrees of success.  A cautionary note: watercress should not be gathered from fluke infested streams as they can infect humans  when ingested.

#Buist (or Keel or Bust)

Pronounced ‘Bist’: to mark a sheep’s fleece with paint.  One of the oldest forms of sheep identification. This would often be with the farmer’s initials and each farm would have its own colour.  After shearing, of course, the sheep would need to be rebuisted.   The image shows Exmoor Horn sheep belonging to the late Dick French of Brendon Barton, one of the closest farms to Hoar Oak Cottage.  The initials A F were his father’s, the + usually denotes a glebe (or tithe) farm

#Buisting Iron

The marking iron used to apply paint to a fleece, sometimes individual letters, sometimes with the ‘complete’ branding mark; attached to a metal shank.  There would often be a smaller iron for lambs.  Occasionally they would be made from wood as shown in the photo below

#Keel Pot

The pot holding the paint (or paint/tar mix) into which the buisting iron would be dipped.  Often sheep were marked with just a daub of paint using a wooden stick (‘keel’ or ‘paddle’)

#Hogg (or Hogget)

From August/September in the year of birth until the next summer when the fleece is sheared (clipped) off, the sheep is a ‘hogg’ (Scotland) or hogget (parts of England/Wales).  Does Exmoor say hogg or hogget?

#Wethers (or Wedder Hoggs)

Tup (male) lambs which have been castrated and are being fattened for the market.  If kept beyond the stage when they are lambs they become known as ‘wedder hoggs’

#Stell

Stells are open, circular pens – usually made from stone that sheep can wander into freely in bad weather.  Still commonly seen in Scotland, Scottish shepherd  Robert Tait Little brought his knowledge of them to Exmoor.  Click here to find out about the one built at Hoar Oak Cottage

#Lamb

When does a lamb stop being a lamb?  Young sheep born in Spring are known as lambs until their first August when they become #hoggs (or #hoggets)

Posted by Bette Baldwin
Education & Schooling Exmoor Songs & Singing Uncategorized

1881 – A Fishy Tale Sung for Mr Codd!

The Barbrook school registers have given us a valuable insight into the lives of North Devon children including some that lived at Hoar Oak Cottage.  Their education was frequently interrupted by the needs of the farming calendar, by illness or by inclement weather.  These stories can be read on two earlier blogs: The School Teacher Speaks Out and Advice on Education From a Shepherd’s Wife, 1876.

The register also logs the frequent visits from the school inspectors and one entry dated Tuesday October 11th 1881 tells of the inspection made by H F Codd, Esq.  “Three songs were sung by the children viz:  1 The graves of a household  2. Rejoice Rejoice and 3 Dear mother said a little fish.”

The titles of these songs are intriguing.  The first sounds terribly sad, the second rather like a hymn and the third appears to be ungrammatical.  In an endeavour to try and find out a bit more the Friends contacted Cynthia Sartin, Honorary Librarian at Halsway Manor – the National Centre for the Folk Arts –  in Crowcombe, Somerset which holds a large collection of traditional folk music, songs, dance and folklore in its Kennedy Grant Library.

The Graves of a Household comes from a book of poems by Felicia Hemans (1793-1835) entitled Records of Woman: With Other, published in 1828 by William Blackwood of Edinburgh and London.    Cynthia has found the words of the poem, which had clearly been set to music in order for the little children of Barbrook school to be singing it to Mr. Codd the School Inspector.   They are such sad words but probably reflect the experience of many families whose grown children left home to try their luck in far flung lands and rarely, if ever, returned home to their ‘fond mother’.  The words are as follows:
They grew in beauty, side by side,
They fill’d one home with glee;–
Their graves are sever’d, far and wide,
By mount, and stream, and sea.
.
The same fond mother bent at night
O’er each fair sleeping brow;
She had each folded flower in sight,–
Where are those dreamers now?
.
One, midst the forests of the west,
By a dark stream is laid,–
The Indian knows his place of rest,
Far in the cedar shade.
.
The sea, the blue lone sea, hath one,
He lies where pearls lie deep;
He was the lov’d of all, yet none
O’er his low bed may weep.
.
One sleeps where southern vines are drest
Above the noble slain:
He wrapt his colours round his breast,
On a blood-red field of Spain.
.
And one–o’er her the myrtle showers
Its leaves, by soft winds fann’d;
She faded midst Italian flowers,–
The last of that bright band.
.
And parted thus they rest, who play’d
Beneath the same green tree;
Whose voices mingled as they pray’d
Around one parent knee!
.
They that with smiles lit up the hall,
And cheer’d with song the hearth,–
Alas! for love, if thou wert all,
And nought beyond, oh earth!
.
Click here for the digital link to where information and details of this song can be found.

Cynthia felt that the second song recorded, Rejoice Rejoice,  was very likely to be a hymn and, as there are many hymns which have those words in their title, it could be one of any number of potential hymns.  It is therefore difficult to be sure exactly of the words but we do hope that, for the children, this was a rather jollier song to sing than The Graves of a Household.

Finally, Dear Mother Said A Little Fish is an extraordinary title for a children’s song but, once again, Cynthia found it to be another Victorian poem which had been set to music for children to sing.  The actual title of the poem is The Little Fish That Would Not Do As It Was Bid and this full title gives a clue that it is likely to be another woeful and moralistic tale used to teach a child an important message.  Cynthia found it in Rhymes for the Nursery by Jane Taylor publsihed in 1831.  It can also be found in a new Project Gutenberg EBook of Aunt Kitty’s Stories, by various authors, follow this link.

We are extremely grateful to Paul James, the Chief Executive of Halsway Manor for passing our enquiry to Cynthia Sartin, and to her for her quick response and providing such interesting information.   If you would like to find out about the National Centre for the Folk Arts at Halsway Manor and their wonderful programme of activities click here for more information.

If you would like to find out more about Barbrook Mill School and Inspector Codd’s inspection reports there are many old records held in the North Devon Record Office in Barnstaple.  For example, have a look at Mr. H.F. Codd, H.M.I., Education … North Devon Record Office: Annual reports of Inspector   Reference:  3445A-1/PE 6 1876 – 1899 

 

Posted by Bette Baldwin
Agricultural History Education & Schooling Exmoor HistoryThroughStories Uncategorized

The School Teacher Speaks Out

In an earlier post we learnt through a report in the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette of 1876 how the school inspector upset the people of North Devon with his ideas for improvement to local education (click on the link here to read how he sought advice from an Exmoor’s Scottish shepherd’s wife).  It is often the written word that gives voice to the past and the records of the Barbrook Mill School Log* give yet another valuable insight into the education of the children of Exmoor: the voice of the school teacher.

The log shows all too clearly the day to day realities facing families and the school age children living in the Hoar Oak Valley as well as the responsibilities and frustrations felt by their teachers.  The claims on the children for potato planting and harvesting, lambing and shearing are made clear.  The impact of bad weather and ill health also takes its toll on the young ‘scholars’ attendance in class. 

The task facing the teacher is unenviable yet these abstracts (transcribed from a selection of entries in the Barbrook Mill School Log for 1872 up to October 1881) show true determination, dedication and willingness to do the very best for these children, many of whom had long journeys to school and often after being up early to do chores at home.

1872

January 8th to 12th  Opened school on Monday with 19 scholars. 

January 15th to 19th  Kept school only on Monday and Tuesday in consequence of illness.  Received six new scholars.

February 12th to 16th  Find the school to be getting into a better working frame,  things appear to go on smoother than at first, but home lessons not being so well attended to as they should be. Took means to remedy the evil..  Gave notice of my intention to hold a sort of Test examination  monthly, the day being the last Tuesday in the month.

March 11th to 15th  Some of the children are making fair progress in reading but others seem to have [got] into a slovenly habit from which it appears difficult to free them.  Geog and Grammar to Higher Standards. Reading Writing and Arithmetic to all.  Attendance rather thin.

March 18th to 22nd  The attendance this week has not improved.  Some of the children who ought to be most regular in their attendance are kept at home to plant potatoes and other such like things. 

May 13th to 17th  Received two new scholars and several who for some weeks have been absent have found their way back again.  Find it takes a little time for such ones to get into working trim. 

October 21st to November 1st  Highest weekly average yet made.  Several lessons to all.  Marked improvement in arithmetic. Received two new scholars.  Progress fair on the whole but the ill effect of the prolonged absence of many are felt.

November 11th to 15th  Weather very dry. Children consequently kept at home to dig potatoes. Fair progress is being made in the work of the Standards throughout.  Sewing on Thursday afternoon instead of Wednesday.  Taught the children to sing “O come come away” 

December 2nd to 6th  The classes have been chiefly at silent work this week in consequence of the teacher suffering from an attack of the quinsy.

December 9th to 13th   Very cold and wet week in consequence of which several of the children have come late in the mornings.  The usual lessons have been given throughout the school.  Made enquiries for C. Ralph and find that he had gone back to Lynton National School in order to be a participator in the Xmas treat there given.

Christmas hols and breaks

1874

February 3rd to 7th Low attendance this week in consequence of the snow storm of Sunday. 

February 17th to 21st  Attendance not so good as last week. Find on enquiry that several of the children are ill.

February 24th to 28th  Very low attendance this week in consequence of the snow storm of Monday.

March 9th to 13th  Small attendance this week because of the severity of the weather and the lambing season.

March 23rd to 27th  Attendance rather thin chiefly in consequence of the children being kept at home to assist in planting potatoes.  The general work of the school continues to make fair progress when the children attend regularly. 

March 31st to April 4th  The work of the school progress favourably.  Arithmetic of Standard II has considerably improved.  Called on the parents of some few of the elder boys who have not made quite the requisite number of attendances to qualify them for examination to ask that they might make the attendances necessary and was promised that they should be sent.

April 7th to 11th  Attendance very thin this week a few of the scholars being sick and others at home planting potatoes and doing other farm work. 

May 2nd to 6th  Fair progress throughout.  Usual school routine.

May 8th to 12th Attendance rather thin.  Several of the children at home weeding corn etc., usual lessons to those present.

June 9th to 13th  Find it requires pretty much tact and energy to get some of the children into working trim and to [get] them well at it.

June 15th to 19th  Attendance still thin.  Sheep shearing being the chief cause of absence.

June 16th to 20th  Very small attendance this week in consequence of sheep shearing etc.  Those present seem to do very fairly on the whole. Dictation seems to be satisfactorily done throughout the school. 

June 26th  Dismissed for summer holidays.

Summary of Inspectors Report 1874

This school has passed a successful examination.  The Arithmetic of the first class is very creditable.  The first standard work is not so good as that of the other.  Singing is very fair. 

July 13th Reopened school after holidays.

August 24th to 28th  Attendance still low in consequence of harvest operations.  Closed school evening in consequence of wife’s fathers illness.  (Master Mr. Veale)

Change of handwriting from this point onwards

September 7th to 11th   Took charge of the school in consequence of former master (who had left on account of his wife’s father’s illness) being unable to return.  Found the school in good working order but arithmetic of first and second standards requiring attention (J.W. Neill)

November 2nd to 6th  Attendance better this week. The bigger boys having returned from potato digging. 

November 30th to December 4th Usual course of lessons. Find it a hard matter to get the children to give the attention they ought to writing. 

1875

February 22nd to 26th  Very thin school owing to snow storms and the severe weather.

March 1st to 5th School is still rather thin owing to severe cold.  The “home lessons” are done very well on the whole.

March 22nd to 26th A rather thin attendance this week in consequence of the children being kept at home to assist in planting potatoes.  Usual work throughout the school.

March 29th to April 2nd  A small 1st class this week, most of the boys are at home planting potatoes etc.  Several have left to go to work for food.

April 19th to 23rd Usual course of lessons, throughout the school. Some  of the scholars read with great[er] ease and fluency than they did a short time back.  The arithmetic and writing on the average are carefully done.

April 26th to 30th Better attendance this week, admitted 3 new scholars.  Notice of the date fixed for Inspection was received on Tuesday.  The children throughout the school seem to make fair progress.  Holiday on Friday afternoon in order that the school might be cleaned.

June 7th to 11th  Small attendance this week owing to the wet weather and sickness, several children being absent with the whooping cough.  Received Inspectors report.

June 14th to 18th  The attendance is still small, sheep shearing has commenced which keeps many from attending.  Sickness also is keeping several at home.

June 21st to 25th  A very thin school. Sheep shearing has been going on all week. 

June  28th to July 1st  Better attendance this week. Sickness still keeps some away. Dismissed for summer holidays. 

Note: transcribing 1876 to 1880 still to be completed

1881

January 24th to 28th 1881  Owing to the consequence of the snow and rough weather school has been extremely thin this week.

February 7th to 11th In consequence of the heavy rain and wind on Monday only 24 children reached school (Average is 40)

March 14th to 18th  The attendance this week has been rather small many are at home on account of it being the lambing season.

April 4th to 8th  Visited on Monday morning by the school attendance officer.  Attendance this week small – average 38.6

August 8th to 12th On Friday the attendance was very small owing to the heavy and incessant rain.  Only 23 children present in the morning and 24 in the afternoon.

August 15th to 19th  Held test examination on Friday morning.

August 29th to September 2nd  Several children absent this week owing to harvest operations having commenced.  Many who have nearly – but not quite – completed their attendances for examination are still away while others who have completed their attendances come very irregularly. 

October 10th to 14th  Barbrook School was inspected on Tuesday October 11th by H.F. Codd Esq.  Three songs were sung by the children viz:  1 The graves of a household  2. Rejoice Rejoice and 3 Dear mother said a little fish.

The titles of these songs are intriguing.  The first sounds terribly sad, the second rather like a hymn and the third appears to be ungrammatical.  All will be revealed in the next blog!

 

*held in the North Devon Records office in Barnstaple  

Posted by Bette Baldwin