User Home Pages: Chambers Family
Chambers FamilyUpdated August 3, 2006 | [email protected] |
| This site is dedicated to my grandfather Frederick Walter Chambers 1896 - 1976 a wonderful man! This Chambers family originated from Hoxne in Suffolk at least in the 1700's, but soon moved to Eye in Suffolk. From then on the majority stayed around Suffolk parts but a few as you will read have gone for the bright lights of the London area and some have headed south to Kent and Somerset. As most of the Chambers family were Agricultural Labourers I felt it appropriate to add some information about their work. Corn Harvest - Piece Work. 24 July for 5 weeks, wheat, peas, barley, clover and oats. Lord of the Harvest was paid and he in turn paid the men every friday. Good Friday and Christmas Day were working days, most worked a 6 day week, however if involved in livestock this would be 7 days. Barley and Oats were scythed using two hands. Possibly a wife and children collected behind the labourer as he was using two hands. Wheat was collected using a sickle and same applies as to the collection. Corn was put into stooks to dry and then taken for threshing. Horseman. A horseman was thought of as superior to most agricultural labourers. Carters. Took carts as and where needed. If a trip to London was needed they normally allowed 4-5 days. Or a trip of 25 miles allowed 2 days. Ploughing Ploughing went on nearly every week of the year, most being ploughed several times to create tilth and keep weeds down. To plough you had to hold handles of the plough at correct depth depending how deep you wanted to plant and what you were sowing. Scarifying was done April - June Drilling for Barley and Turnips was done by boys leading the drill horse. Wheat was dibbled, this was done by walking backwards making holes, probably a wife and children followed placing the wheat seed in the holes. Weeding - Thistles, Doc Leaves were dealt with individually. Spear grass and cooch grass were also dealt with by hand. First forking, then raking, finally burning. Threshing Horse-powered threshing machine. Usually horse led by a boy. Barley Havel - wispy part had to be separately threshed out. Hay Was grown as a winter feed for livestock and also for thatch. A mowing team working diagonally with scythes and raking, carted off for stacking. Roots were also used for winter feed. Turnip Seed was sold by the pint and sowed thickly. Mangel Wurzils were grown for cattle. Carrots and Potatoes were also sown and potatoes were picked in October. With the cutting of the Chaffe for livestock. Sheep These were often on field after haymaking. Shepherds often worked alone or with a boy usually their son known as a Shepherd's Paige. Cattle A cowman was paid above basic wage but not above a shepherd or horseman. Pigs Kept for 9 months of the year and killed before Christmas so as not to eat winter feed. Hedging & Ditching Ditches were cleared out once a year. New ditches were dug. Banks beaten down, faced up and trimmed. Gaps in hedges replanted and trimmed. Minerals Carters - carted clay from the soil for nearby brick kilns for brick making. Drainage. A series of trenches in a herringbone pattern known as grips were dug. This was done in winter on fallow fields.Brushwood from hedges or turf was laid in narrow channels and back filled, this lasted for about 10 years. In later times clay pipes and bricks were put in the ditches which lasted longer. If anyone has any further information on the Chambers family or any other surnames mentioned I would love to hear from you, please get in touch. Thank you to everyone who has helped with some input whether by text or a photo or two. My biggest thanks however goes to Colin Chambers in Cheltenham we have never met (hopefully we will one day) but we have worked long hours on this and often hit brick walls and im sure there is still much to do. Thanks Colin. Sally. | |
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