RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 16-41. 145 



threshed betwixt that time wee gotte all in and the 17th of 

 November, and by this meanes the swyne wi'ought in it, and 

 gotte good by it, and the strawe was well wette ; and then on 

 the 18th of November, when the thatcher came, wee did noe 

 more but sette one of the threshers with a forke to shake up 

 all the best of it, and lye it on an heape togeather, and then 

 sette one to drawe it out immediately, and it was very good 

 thatch : tliis was afore the beasts weare taken into the stand- 

 heckes, whearefore the strawe was throwne out into the fore- 

 yard. They that drawe thatch have usually diy haver-strawe 

 l3nnge by them, whereon to make theire bandes for theire bottles. 

 In summer-time wee usually fetch clottes out of the field to 

 make morter on, but in ^vinter wee eyther shoole up some dirte 

 togeather, in some such place as is free from gravle and stones, 

 or otherwise wee digge downe some olde clay or mudde-wall 

 that is of noe use, or else grave up some earth, and water it, 

 and tewe it. Morter neaver doeth well imlesse it bee well 

 wrought in, viz. ; except it bee well watered and tewed ; and it 

 is accounted soe much the better if it bee watered over night, 

 and have nights time to steepe in. In makinge of morter, yow 

 are first to breake the earth very small, and with yom- spade to 

 throwe out all the stones yow can finde, and then to water it 

 and tewe it well, till it bee soe soft that it will allmost runne ; 

 then lette it stande a while till the water sattle somethinge from 

 it, and it will bee very good morter. They that make the mor- 

 ter have all way es by them an olde spade to tewe it with, and a 

 little two gallon skeele to fetch water in, and two olde scuttles 

 to carry up morter in, viz. ; one for the server, and another for 

 the thacker-drawer, if occasion soe require ; and theire manner 

 is to putte an handfull or two of dry -strawe into the bottomes 

 of the scuttles to keepe the scuttles cleane, and that the morter 

 may goe readily out and not cleave to the scuttles. They have 

 also an olde halter," or a peece of an olde broken teather for 

 carryinge up of theire bottles, and they tye togeather and 

 carry up constantly three bottles att a time. A thatcher hath 

 usually to folkes to waite on him, viz. ; one to drawe out the 

 thatch and make it into bottles, and the other to make morter 

 and serve him ; unlesse it bee when they come to morter the 

 rigge of an howse, and then the thacke-drawer giveth over 



'^ See page 51, where it is said that " for trailinge of the sweathrake, they fasten 

 a broade halters headstall, -which they put about theire neckes like a paire of sword- 

 hangers." The two articles occur together in an Inventory of 1631, " one sword 

 and hingers os. ; 5^ dozen of halters headstalls, 2 bedcords, 2 halters, a pair of cow 

 tyes, a pair of felters, a pair of tethers, 8s." The headstall is the flat part of the 

 baiter ; the round part is called the shank. 

 U 



