8 WESTMORLAND AGRICULTURE, 1800-1900 



with its charred linen rags and the home-made strips of wood dipped 

 in sulphur. 



The food of the fanners consisted principally of the products of 

 the com they grew, oats and barley, and a few potatoes, and meat 

 which was killed in the autumn. The oats and barley were crushed 

 at the nearest mill, one or more of which was to be found on the 

 streams of even the smallest valleys, but there are very few remaining 

 to-day, and these in a tumbled down and dilapidated condition from 

 long disuse. Wheaten bread was only used on very special occasions, 

 such as christenings and funerals ; on the latter occasions " small loaves 

 of it were given to the persons invited to the funeral, which they were 

 expected to ' take and eat ' at home in remembrance of their deceased 

 neighbour ; " this was called " Arvel Bread," and was distributed as 

 late as 1834 at the funeral of Elizabeth Longmire of The Cragg, Trout- 

 beck. The meal was baked into haver-bread on the girdle or prepared 

 by sour leaven. A good deal of barley was used for grinding and this 

 mixed with rye formed an excellent bread and was in use in the poorer 

 houses and farms about 1840. The use of haver-bread very gradually 

 died out and by 1850 wheat bread was in general use by ' all persons 

 of condition,' though the common people still ate oaten bread. G. 

 Atkinson writes in 1849 : " Oaten or yot bread is seldom used now in 

 the Bottom of Westmorland. Brown bread — bread leavened and made 

 of mashelden (wheat and big or wheat and rye mixed) is more common." 

 A thick kind of porridge was made from the oatmeal with water and 

 called " hasty pudding " ; it was eaten with butter, milk, treacle, or 

 beer, this usually constituted the principal part of both morning and 

 evening meals. Wm. Dickinson writing in 1852 says : " A great 

 quantity of oats is ground into meal and made into porridge ; and this 

 with milk, bread and sometimes cheese constitutes the breakfast and 

 supper of the chief part of the farm households in the county." At 

 the middle-day meal meat was eaten as long as the stores in the chimney 

 lasted, a piece was boiled on Svmday and eaten cold the following days 

 of the week, together with a soup flavoured with a few of the scanty 

 " pot herbs " from the garden, or the soup was poured over meal, 

 when it was known as " crowdy." Potatoes were a welcome addition 

 at any of the meals when they were to be had. Blue milk cheese 

 called " wangy," and beer were always on the table at which both 



