RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 23 



bee fitte for them, and like [wise] to take them of the ehppers 

 and dehver them to him that hokleth them whiles they are 

 marked. 



One of the girles is to keepe fire under the tarr-potte, 

 and the other to gather up the lockes of wooll that are scat- 

 tered, and to carry the best of them and putte them within the 

 fleeces before they bee lapped up, and to putte the worst sorte 

 of them into the other leape, viz. : such as are hairy and tarry. 



Wee provide allsoe against this time two leapes, and a broade 

 doore that is smooth and plaine ; one of the leapes is to lye the 

 doore upon, there on to lye and winde the fleeces ; and the other 

 leape is to putte the worst lockes of wooll into, that are scat- 

 tered, such as yow give to poore folkes, and those that come a 

 begginge for wooll. Aboute the time that the clippers leave 

 worke poore folkes will come a begginge for wooll, and then are 

 you to give them of these lockes in the leape, viz. ; to each an 

 handfull ; and that more to those of our owne towne then to 

 others. Tusser's advice : you are to provide 



A sheep-marke, a tarr-kettle, little or mitch, 

 Two pottles of tarre to a pottle of pitch. 



For Geldinge of Lambes. 



The usuaU and best time for geldinge of lambes is aboute the 

 middle or 20th of Jmie, the moone beinge 4 or 6 dayes past the 

 full. When yow intende to gelde your lambes, yow are to 

 sende worde to the sheapheard to bringe his sheepe downe to 

 the folde aboute 5 of the clocke, or soone after ; and from that 

 time till sunn-sett yow may easily gelde an hundreth lambes ; 

 for one that is ready att it will easily gelde an himdreth lambes 

 in three houres. Yow are to sende clowne to the folde two men 

 to help the sheapherd, . viz. : one to catch the lambes, and the 

 other to holde them over the barres whiles they are hbbed ; and 

 the sheapheard himselfe is to stande without the barres, and to 

 have a longe sharpe penknife therewith to shtte theire coddes, 

 and then is hee to take holde of the ende of the stones with his 

 teeth, and soe to drawe them forth ; and hee is alsoe to nicke 

 on the bari'e liowe many cleane weathers there are, howe many 

 riggons, and howe many hunge tuppes. Yow are alsoe to pro- 

 vide against that time an handfull or two of tansey, and to 

 gette the same chopped very small with a choppinge knife, and 

 made up in a ball with fresh butter, allmost as bigge as an hal- 

 pennie loafe ; and a ball of this bignesse is sayd to bee sufficient 

 for the anoyntinge of fourescore lambes ; this ball is to bee 

 sette in a dish beside the sheapheard, and ever as he hath gelded 



