rural economy in yorkshire in 1641. 59 



Other shorte Remembrances. 

 It is usuall in some places (wheare the fm-res of the landes 

 are deepe worne with raines) to imploy women, with waine- 

 rakes, to gather the corne out of the said hollow fiuTes after that 

 the sweathrakes have done. A g-ood soakinge shower aboute 

 the latter ende of September, or immediately after harvest is in, 

 doth much good, both in helpinge forward the MichaeUmasse 

 springe, and besides, it is said to lye corne finely, that is, such 

 come as is sowne shortly after will lye fine and moist, which 

 will bee a meanes to make it come up the sooner. The landes 

 are att this time of the yeare soft and hea\'y, whearefore they 

 goe allwayes to the faiTe ende of the landes with the empty 

 waiues, and loade homewards. Wee have constantly two folkes 

 on the stacke, and oftentimes three, \dz. ; the foreman to lye 

 the courses ; another to lye the fiUinge and to fill after him, and 

 the thii'd to treade ; soe that hee that forketh the waine is to 

 stande on the stacke, and forke to the stacke and fillers,^ and 

 when the scaffold is made to stande there and forke tliem up to 

 the toppe. When wee beginne a stacke on the grownde wee 

 lay every course out further than other till the stacke bee more 

 then two yards in height, and that is called lyinge out of a 

 stacke to the eize, and then doe wee beginne to take it in againe 

 by degrees ; and when it is somewhat more then fower yards 

 in height, then do wee putte in three board ends for one to 

 stande upon and give up the reapes to the toppe. Our manner 

 is neaver to lye any courses with the last two or three loades 

 that come in att night but to lye them all in the fillinge to keepe 

 the stacke from wette, and then in the morninge to take them 

 up againe and lye them Avhen the waines are gone to the field. 

 If wee chance to take over much compass for a stacke soe that 

 wee finde that wee are like to wante pease wherewith to rigge 

 it up, then are we glad sometimes to cutte of one of the endes 

 of the stacke with an hey spade, takeinge of as much as wee 

 thinke will serve our tume for toppinge up or rigginge of the 

 same. That which is layd in the fiiHnge overnight to save the 

 stacke from wettinge is called boll-roakinge of a stacke, and 

 that which is cutte of the stacke ende is called (for the most 

 parte) a coupe-band. 



For Thatchinge of a Stacke. 

 Wee aUwayes preserve eyther wheate or rye strawe in some 

 house ende, wherewithall to thatch our pease stackes, for these 



» Here is an eiTor, as any one may see by considering what is the length of a 

 man's arm. The passage must be rearl thus, " he that forketh the waine is to stand 

 ON THE WAINE, and forke to the stacke and fillers ; and when the scaffold is made, 

 ONE OF THE FILLERS is to stande there and forke them up to the toppe." 



