74 RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 



then they eate, and treade it under foote, if yow but rake it to- 

 geather, and lye it in some place wheare the winde may blowe 

 in it a while, it will dry and sweeten it againe, for that it will 

 make good fother for the oxen that are in the howse ; or 

 otherwise yow may bottle it up, and carry it and putte it in one 

 of the stand-heckes, as yow doe your staddle-hey. 



There fell (this yeare) a tliinne snowe on Munday the 22nd 

 of November, att which time our hogges weare in the Carre ; 

 the snowe continuinge still, the townesfolkes brought all their 

 fieli sheepe and putte them into the Carre on Thursday-morn- 

 inge the 25th of the same moneth ; whearefore wee fetched 

 away our hogges, and putte them into the Wandill closes, and 

 wente and brought downe all our fielde-sheepe fi*om the Spel- 

 lowe, and layd them in the Bricke-close the lii-st night, and then 

 the next morninge wee putte them into the Can-e, because the 

 townesfolkes woulde not fetch theires out, and if it had then 

 beene open weather, the Carre woulde not have lasted them 

 three dayes to an ende ; or if they had beene there all the way- 

 gate of the snowe, they woulde have troden it all to muck ; but 

 the weather continuinge att a certaine, without eyther increas- 

 inge or decrefisinge, they remained there, and made a sliifte to 

 scrape for theire livinge till Sunday-morninge ; for on Satterday- 

 night there came more snowe, and a frost with it, whearefore 

 on Sunday-morninge our shepheard canyed a bottle of hey into 

 the Carre, as much as wee thought they woulde eate readily, 

 and shilled oui-s out from amongst the towne sheepe, and fo- 

 thered them on our owne landes, and stoode by them till they 

 had eaten it. The townes-folkes desired that every one might 

 bi'inge hey proportionable to the number of theire sheepe, and 

 then they brought a little of theire steare hey, and by this 

 meanes our hey should have beene speute in fotheringe of other 

 mens goods ; whearefore on Sunday -night wee brought them 

 into the West-hall East close, and there fothered them soe longe 

 as the snowe lasted. Then weare our fatte sheepe in the Cunni- 

 garth by themselves, and wee had thought to have wintered 

 them there, whearefore wee ])utte three poore hogges to them, 

 and lieganne to fother them on Sunday night the 28th of No- 

 vember ; and gave them that night but a little, but on Munday- 

 mominge wee gave them more, and tliey bcganne to fall very 

 sharpely to theiie hard meate ; but the hogges went snuffinge 

 and snookinge from heape to heape, and woulde not fall to their 

 fother till Miuiday-night. This weather still continuinge, wee 

 liiought our fatte sheepe (on Tliursday-morninge the 2nd of 

 Dectinber) and putte to the i)yke of hey that was in the West- 

 hall East close fenced in until an hedge, and in this corner was 



