Farm Labour The Lowest Class. Agricultural Labourers were unskilled farm labourers who did not operate their own farm; they worked for a “farmer.” They were the lowest class in rural English society at a time when there was a large emphasis on class distinction. There were several classes in England. Those in the lowest class associated with and married others in their same class. Status was very important in English society. England had a strict class hierarchy. There were five distinct classes. You married and socialized within your own class. At the top, there was the nobility or aristocracy. Examples of nobility were Dukes, Earls, and Marquises. The principal landowner for a village was often a noble. Nobles normally did not have anything to do with village life. The next level was the “gentry”. It included the Clergy (Church of England), Baronets, and Knights. These are small landowners with thousands of acres. They were more involved in village life. The next class down was the farmers (“yeomen”) and bankers. Some farmers worked on their farms but many were sufficiently wealthy to live like the gentry. The next class was the tradesmen or skilled workers. Examples are carpenters, shoemakers, blacksmiths and surgeons. Although the farmer was not at the same social position as the gentry, he was much superior to the tradesmen and shopkeepers. The lowest class was the working poor. In the countryside, these were the agricultural labourers. Servants. The wealthy had servants. The more they had, the more they could show their wealth and gain status in society. It was common for farmers to have servant girls. They cost less and a male servant was taxed. However, having a male servant gave one much more status. Besides the domestic servants, there were coachmen (maintained and drove the carriage), the groom (took care of the horses), gardeners, and gamekeepers (to protect the game-rabbits, pheasants, etc. from poaching). Being a servant was a very difficult job. A maid might work from 6AM to 11PM at night. A Labourer’s Relationship with The Farmer. There were two types of agricultural labourers in England. The first worked for one farmer. The farmer would own or control many cottages or houses. His agricultural labourers lived in these cottages. Typically the cottage was free or leased at a small rent to the labourer. A family might live in the same cottage for more than one generation. The relationship was stronger between the farmers and these labourers. However, the farmer did not have a legal obligation to the labourer. He could drive the labourer out of the cottage at any time. The farmer frequently let the labourer plant a small vegetable garden near the cottage. Other labourers contracted their services. In the 17th century, it was typical to contract for a one-year period, starting at “Michaelmas” (September 29th). There would be a large fair that would be attended by the farmers and prospective employees. The prospective employees would be corralled within an enclosure or on a platform. The employers observed the prospective employees from the sidelines. The prospective employees - agricultural labourers, domestic servants, etc. - would wear something to show their desired type of work. A domestic servant might hold a broom. A shepherd would pin wool to his shirt. The farmers would observe the health of the worker. They would then interview the worker to determine liabilities, such as a family. Finally, they would negotiate a wage, perhaps agreeing to provide a cottage as part of the deal. After the bargaining, they would have a celebration. In the 19th century, it was more common to contract for one week for a given wage. Farming. The farmers in England grew crops that we are familiar with; such as, wheat, barley, and oats. These grains were collectively referred to as “corn”. Corn, as we know it, did not exist in England. Wheat was the most profitable crop and very common. Farms were plowed in the late fall or winter. After plowing, the soil was “harrowed” to break it into smaller chunks. Sheep were grazed throughout the field to fertilize the crops. The wheat was cut by hand with the sickle, or old-fashioned cradle, and then carried to the barn. A team of five men working all day would harvest about two acres using a small sickle. The wheat was threshed during the winter by walking in a circle and beating the wheat with the “flail” until the grain separated from the chaff. The grain was then “winnowed” (sifted) into bags. It was long hard work. The hours during the summer were 6AM to 6PM except during harvest time when they worked until 8PM. In winter they worked from 7AM to 5PM. There weren’t many holidays either. There were just three: Good Friday, Shrove Tuesday, and Christmas Day. There were a few benefits. Sometimes the worker received a free or low rent cottage. Sometimes they were allowed to use a small garden plot to raise vegetables. While working in the fields, they were provided free beer. Another benefit was the women and children were allowed to glean the fields after a harvest. The Cottage of A Labourer. In the 18th century, the normal farm labourer’s house was one room on the first floor and one room above it. They didn’t spend anything on sanitation, hygiene, entertainment, or transportation (they walked). The wealthiest rural poor lived in a four-room cottage. The roof and walls leaked water. Dirt and bird droppings oozed from the roof. Many floors were earth, sometimes damp or even flowing with spring water. The standard flooring in the mid-18th century was “clunch”. This was crushed rock, perhaps dug out of the road in front of the house. By the 19th century, bricks were sometimes laid over the clunch. Sparrows were a problem in the thatched roof used for cottages. Food and Drink. In 1864, the average farm laborer had one cooked meal per week. They didn’t have ovens. There was almost always a small garden in which they would grow vegetables, keep chickens, or even raise a pig. Bread, milk, cheese, eggs, and beer were staple foods. They almost never had meat, sugar, or tea. Cheese and bacon were favorite and rare foods for the poor. Pudding was a favorite lower class dish. Pudding frequently contained blood and spice and it was smoked well to give it a strong taste. Bread made from wheat was a common food. The bread was baked at the community bake house. The bake house oven was built of brick with an iron door. It had a grate at the bottom. Wood was burned below the grate to get the oven hot. After it came to temperature, the bread dough was placed on top of the grate. When the bread was baked, the ashes were picked out of it. Boiling food was more common than baking it. Drinking water was obtained from a well or stream and brought to the cottage in pots. Water pumps replaced wells in the early 19th century. Water was often contaminated so people drank tea and beer instead. Beer was provided free to the labourers working in the fields. Stopping at “sevensies, ninesies, elevensies, dinner and foursies” they would drink a pint of beer at each stop. It was home-brewed beer. If a labourer wanted to drink after work, he went to the pub “…the pub was distinctly disreputable and disapproved of, not only because it was the resort of the poor, but because it led them out of the peculiarly strait and narrow way that was all that Victorian respectability permitted them.”