284 ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL LABOURER. 



" Born in the year 1873," he writes, " my father was a carter 

 at Brede in the county of Sussex. Before my birth there were 

 in the family two boys and one girl. My father's wage was 155. 

 per week with his cottage, then out of that his employer stopped 

 is. per week for the firing, so that left 145. to keep my father, 

 mother, and the three little ones, and then, of course, there arrived 

 myself to increase the family. Unfortunately, I lived to add to 

 their great burden. Then another girl was born, which like 

 myself lived and had to be kept, on the same wage, and 

 after her two others, making a family of nine living upon 

 145. 



"When I was attending school a stroke of luck fell upon my 

 father. His employer wanted a carter's boy for 45. a week, 

 so of course my brother started work with the horses, not be- 

 cause he had had sufficient schooling, but because his 45. were 

 wanted to make ends meet in the home. He was out in the stable 

 in the morning by six to go either to Rye or Hastings, and as 

 there was no compulsory school attendance in those days I 

 often went with my father and brother for a ride in the wagon, 

 and I cannot tell you how I enjoyed those rides along the Udimore 

 Road on the starlight mornings in the winter ! 



" Whilst I was attending school in this kind of way my mother 

 fell ill, and the cottage where we lived, like many others, had no 

 water close to it the nearest being about two furlongs from the 

 house so again I kept away from school, for on the day my 

 mother did the washing I used to be at home to fetch the water 

 with two small buckets. 



" I loved my mother so much that I felt I must always be 

 with her, but how she managed to make ends meet God only 

 knows. Often at dinner I have seen the tears come in her eyes 

 when father asked her if she could not eat more dinner and her 

 answer was, ' I must think of those who go to work and the 

 children/ and often I am sure she has gone short of food through 

 thought of the children. 



" Another stroke of luck though fell to the home, when my 

 eldest sister was old enough to go to service ; but the struggle 

 was no less as those at home still grew older and wanted more to 

 eat ; but the wage of my father never grew. 



" My mother, though often ill, had to go to work in the field 

 and hop-garden to help support the home. When my father 

 had worked at that farm for nearly nine years my mother's 

 illness led to calling in the doctor, who told my father that if 

 he wished to save my mother's life he must get a better house. 

 So on Monday, February 25, 1884, my father heard of another 

 situation. It was a lovely, clear day, and as it was mother's 

 washing day I was at home fetching water and seeing to the 

 fire, and my father, as he sat at dinner, said he was going, as 



