RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 83 



Aprill, which wee thought to bee a very meete time for them 

 to goe to field, viz. ; both in regard of the age of the lambes, 

 and allsoe the time of the yeare ; whearefore on Fryday the 

 15th of Aprill wee marked our lambes, givinge them onely the 

 botte on the farre buttocke, and settinge it up as high as the 

 ridge of theire backes ; for in younge lambes that are growinge 

 the marke will sattle downewards with the woll ; then on Mun- 

 day the 18th of Aprill wee tolde the ewes and lambes, and de- 

 livered them to the shepheard wlioe carryed them to field ; hee 

 marked the number of them on a sticke, and wee sette them 

 downe in our allmanacke, as wee doe allsoe them that dye be- 

 twixt one markinge time and another, as for example this 

 marke * standeth for 20, this marke x for 10, and this, which 

 is called faggett-marke HI I for 5. These closes weare (this 

 yeare) ajo-ed and kept fresh from Munday the 28th of Febru- 

 ary till Munday the 4th of Aprill, and are (by experience) 

 founde that they will keepe sixe score ewes and lambes ; and 

 sixe score is as many as they will well keepe at this time of the 

 yeare, allthough that they bee (as they nowe weare) kept fresh 

 full five weekes togeather ; aboute three or fower nights afore 

 our ewes and lambes went to field, wee, perceivinge these closes 

 to waxe shorte, made them a little gappe into the West-howse 

 North close, and sette open the gate for them to come into the 

 Hemp-garth and Fore-yard and thereby inlarged theire night 

 commons ; after these ewes and lambes went to field these 

 closes, beinge a barren and dry grownde,* weare immediately 

 layd up for hey and nothinge suffered to come in them after ; 

 for if wee shoulde have otherwise done, wee shoulde have had 

 shorte shanked hey. Nowe for our gelde sheepe and hogges, if 

 wee perceive the Carre to bee over-burthened, rather then our 

 hogges shall goe backe, wee will take them out from amongst 

 the gelde sheepe and eyther bringe them into the Hither Longe 

 close to the ewes that are yett to lambe, or else (if wee have the 

 Farre Longe close in our owne handes) putte them in there and 

 soe may the shepheard have an eye to them all both to stoppe 

 the smouts and to see that none of them bee layd fast or hanged 

 in bryers : if wee intende or see occasion thus to doe, wee 

 bringe them forth usually aboute the 10th of March and then 

 aboute the 23d or 24th of March putte the hogges into the 

 Carre againe, and allsoe the gelde ewes that are to goe to field, 

 and this is a meanes that they will take better hold when they 

 come to field and not hange soe much towards the towne ; for I 

 have knowne the townsfolkes putte ewes and lambes into the 



* Compare Psalms 63, v. 2 ; lOo, v. 34-3-5. 



