110 RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641, 



take find clippe every of theire right winges ; then, when they 

 are aboute nioneths olde, yow must come, after the same man- 

 ner, and pinnion or cutte a joynt of every of theire right 

 winges ; then lette tliem alone another weeke or more, till theire 

 winces bee whole, and then take the henne and them and putte 

 them into some close bordered place, and sette them but a 

 wheate sheafe with the head downewards, and water, and they 

 will doe well enough : but when they are in the howse neaver 

 throwe pismire mowles downe to the henne, for shee will scratch 

 the mowles, and throwe the partridges against the walles with 

 her feete ; for they, beinge not above two or three dayes olde, 

 will keepe continually aboute her ; and shee will alsoe bashe her 

 in the dust, and soe oftentimes ci-ush them to death. 



For findinge of Imploi'ment for our Moore Folkes when 

 there is any lette weather in harvest time. 

 If our barnes bee empty, then wee sometimes make them 

 leade clay, and mende the floores wheare they are badd ; or, 

 otherwise, lead in an old i)ease stacke, and make them thresh on 

 morninges till it bee time to goe to field ; and on rainy day, 

 wee (this yeare) yoaked up three waines on latter Lady day 

 morninge, and ledde an olde stacke to the West halls bame. 

 There went with every waine one, and to that office wee then 

 appoynted those that wee thought weare most used to go with 

 draughts ; then wee had two of the lustyest fellowes on the 

 stacke with two longe forkes to forke from tlie stacke to the 

 waine ; they went up Linsley lane with theire waines, and came 

 downe the barley close, and Itrought the waines into the barne, 

 and hee that loaded teamed ; then stood theire two men with 

 forkes on the ground that forked up to the mowe," and two on 

 the mo we with sliorte forkes that tooke the reapes and placed 

 them : the same morninge, before they feU to leadinge of pease, 

 they carry ed a greate deale of barley strawe out into the yard, 

 with forkes, that had lyen in the bame a greate while. 



For Choosinge and Buyinge of Firre-deales. 

 It is allready sette downe in the other treatise'' of this sub- 

 jeokt, what thinges are to liee considered in the choise of good 

 deales, to which may be added two thinges more, viz ; that 

 they bee soitable, i.e. all of one length, all of one breadih, and 

 all of one thickenesse ; and then are they ready without any 



• See page 4fi. Every body knows the old song "The Barley Mow." In an In- 

 ventory ot 1629 J8 this entry, "a piece of a niewstead of wheate and maslin un- 

 thresht 6/." Mousteads is "yet a name for a field. 



* See the note on pages 31, nnd ftfi. 



