88 ON THE AGEICULTURE OF THE 



Diets of Servants. 



"At breakfast, 'broclian' and peasemeal bread ; at dinner in 

 summer, whey and bread; and in winter, potatoes and bread; at 

 supper, sowens or ' brochan/ There was cabbage for dinner once 

 a- week; and next day porridge, made of what remained of the 

 cabbage, was taken with butter at breakfast. My father always 

 fed a cow, to be killed in winter ; and as long as it lasted, the 

 servants got broth, and sometimes beef. During winter and 

 spring there was always plenty of home-made ale ; and the ser- 

 vants occasionally got ale, butter, and curds ; but porridge was 

 seldom seen. The servants got three feasts in the year, the one 

 on Old [N'ew Year's-day, another when the barley was sown, and 

 another when the shearinsj was finished." 



Clothing ami Social Customs. 



" The clothing was very simple and plain. The men wore 

 black knee-breeehes and bright blue coats, made by their wives. 

 The young men generally wore similar attire, but some had 

 kilts. Even the larger farmers wore broad blue bonnets, and no 

 hats were to be seen. About 1792 some favourite sons bee^an to 

 get trousers, and by 1850 breeches had almost disappeared. In 

 my father's time no farmers' wives had prints or cotton gowns. 

 Their gowns were of their own making, chiefly wincey. The 

 wives wore a small tartan shoulder-plaid, and it was considered 

 to be decent and matron-like for a farmer's wife to have a clean 

 white towel tied on her head above the 'mutch' or cap. Xo 

 young ladies covered their head until married. Their hair was 

 their pride. It was all combed down their shoulders, and when 

 at work was tied at their back with tape. At the marriage 

 ceremony the bride was always covered with a scarlet plaid ; and 

 if she had not one of her own, she got the loan of one. The 

 gatherings at marriages were usually very large, and there was 

 music and dancing on four nights ; on Thursday night, at the feet 

 washing ; on Friday night, after the marriage ; on Saturday e\'en- 

 ing and part of the day; and again on Tuesday, at what was 

 called the ' home weddinc^.' " 



Memorable Year's. 



Under this heading Mr AVallace has a number of very inter- 

 esting notes on great events of national as well as local import- 

 ance. Eeferring to the remarkably wet year of 1782, which was 

 called the " Black Year," he says, " there was scarcely a dry day 

 dming the whole spriug, while summer and autumn were also 

 very wet. The crop was late and miserably jDoor, in fact the 

 greater portion of it never ripened at all. Mr Calder, the minis- 

 ter of Eosskeen, was paid in grain, and all he got that year was 



