D289 

<F Do2> 

<S Jim Thomas> 

<G M> 

<A 70> 

<O RETIRED FARMER> 

<C DORSET> 

<V ANSTY> 

<D 00-12-56> 

<I SE> 

<L CN S137> 

<T 12:20> 

  

<JT Yes, 

we were # snowed up here uh # one time, 

when nobody couldn’t get to us for a week. JT> 

<SE Hmm. 

# [!= laughs] SE> 

<JT Had to dig ourselves out 

and # make the bakers pathways, 

and +… JT> 

<SE Yeah. SE> 

<JT Take on a bag, 

you know, 

and bring back some loaves. JT> 

<SE Yeah. SE> 

<JT This xxx, 

xxx [*tother*]. JT> 

<SE Oh, 

you managed to do that then? SE> 

<JT Yeah. JT> 

<SE Aye. 

Aye. 

# And how did they get you +… 

How did they get through in the end? SE> 

<JT Oh, 

dug out the # roadway, 

see, 

and +… JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT Every man +… 

Of course, 

couldn’t do nothing else. 

And then you ‘d all go back on the road, 

and # dig theeself out. JT> 

<SE Aye. SE> 

|| 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT That was the only job going, 

see, 

and uh # no time +… 

Well, 

either do that or starve. 

[!= laughs] JT> 

<SE Yeah. 

Aye. SE> 

<JT It didn’t last long. 

About a week, 

you know, 

afore we were through. JT> 

|| 

<JT The country # side is the same, 

but # things has changed xxx so much, 

see. 

# Years ago, 

# we knowed [: knew] everybody throughout the village. 

# We could # sit down here with they, 

and # tell who # everybody was, 

living in different cottages. 

But you can’t now. 

Because # so many cottages # they ‘ve been built. 

And then there ‘s +… 

People do come in. 

Fresh faces. 

We don’t know who they be. 

We call ’em foreigners. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT [!= laughs] 

And then uh # they stop perhaps about two months, 

see, 

and clear out again. 

And somebody else come in. 

Well, 

you don’t know who ‘s who. 

Not now. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT Just a few locals. 

Like myself. 

Hanging about here. 

That ‘s all. 

[!= laughs] JT> 

<SE Hmm. 

Were you actually born here? SE> 

<JT # Not in this # cottage. 

Up where Tom lives. 

That ‘s where I were born. JT> 

|| 

<SE Well, 

what were the sort of jobs you did when you started work? SE> 

<JT # Well, 

any job, 

see, 

that come [: came] along. 

A # farmer wanted a boy to go and lead a horse like, 

summertime. 

That were when we used to load the hay on the wagons. 

Pitch it up with # [*picks*]. 

# Used to have the boy, 

see, 

that led the horse. 

Oh, 

and then when the old carter that they +… 

All that, 

on you had to go, 

see. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

|| 

<JT Well, 

I don’t remember seeing ’em # cutting with hooks. 

# They might have when I was +… 

afore I can remember. 

I ‘ve heard my father talk about it, 

see. 

All that was reaped # with a # reap hook, 

see. 

Gather it in the xxx, 

and cut off a lot, 

and # put en down, 

and # go on, 

cut off another and put en down, 

then there were # a woman, 

xxx behind. 

She ‘d come on and tie up every one of they, 

see. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT And that were a sheaf. 

# It were all done with hand. JT> 

<SE And what then? SE> 

<JT Well, 

then +… 

Of course, 

# everything had to be done with hand, 

or horses and carts. 

Pull ’em in then, 

see, 

into the rick. JT> 

<SE Aye. 

But you wouldn’t take the sheaves # from the ground, 

stright into the rick,, 

would you? SE> 

<JT Oh no. 

You xxx ’em up. 

In lines. 

Straight lines. 

Like you see ’em now. 

Occasionally. 

Not often, 

because the combines do +… JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT Chuck out the straw. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT And the xxx. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

|| 

<JT These were all the xxx that # used to look over, 

and # they ‘d say they judged the crop, 

see. 

And they ‘d put down their [*staddle*] according. 

# You know, 

as it was +… 

the size of the # rick they ‘re going to make. 

# And then # there were a xxx there, 

called the rick maker. 

He were skilled at the job, 

you know. 

He ‘d take charge then. 

# Until the men had to # chuck the sheaves down. 

And he ‘d go all round, 

and # build up this rick. 

# And woe betide en, 

if # a sheaf were out of place, 

# when the rick were made, 

and wasn’t looking there a bit tidy. 

# xxx were xxx xxx xxx. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

|| 

<JT Well, 

they ‘d # make the rick, 

perhaps, 

and thatched the same day. JT> 

<SE Oh. 

# And then how long would it stay up in the rick then? SE> 

<JT # Well, 

that +… 

# According to how the farmer +… 

If he wanted some # ready cash, 

see, 

he ‘d soon # have it threshed out. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT But if he didn’t, 

altogether they ‘d hold it on till the # winter, 

a nice uh xxx +… 

choose a nice # few fine days if they could, 

see, 

# they ‘d judge the weather as well as they could. 

# Then they ‘d have a day or two’s threshing. JT> 

|| 

<JT Traps is forbidden now, 

you see. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT Unless you put ’em in a hole. 

# But out in the open, 

you dare not xxx a trap. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT But # you can stick up a wire, 

in the hedge, 

and get en like that. 

# but you usually get two or three most winters. JT> 

<SE Hmm. 

And can you use the skins? SE> 

<JT # Oh, 

chaps about # here, 

# they do skin ’em and send ’em away, 

to these skin firms. 

# Get a fair price for ’em. 

Pound. 

Twenty five bob sometimes. 

According to the skin demand, 

I suppose. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT Aye. JT> 

<SE Very good,, 

isn’t it? SE> 

<JT Yeah. JT> 

<SE Aye. SE> 

<JT But a badger, 

he don’t uh # do very much harm I don’t think. 

Well, 

he do xxx, 

I suppose, 

really, 

I suppose, 

he ‘s trying xxx xxx xxx # xxx. 

# He ‘ll have a stray xxx occasionally, 

if he ‘s out # with +… 

in his xxx, 

he leads somewhere. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

|| 

<JT Like, 

round here last Thursday. 

# We got some [*voles*] down in a field. 

Well, 

one when we went after the xxx, 

six o’clock in the morning, 

it were dark, 

# then. 

xxx xxx xxx pulled up the slides for to let ’em out, 

when it got light, 

see. 

# About a half hour afterwards, 

Jack come [: came] in here, 

he said uh, 

+” You have a visitor. “+ 

# I said, 

+” What ‘s thou mean? “+ 

+” Oh, “+ 

he said, 

+” There ‘s thy [*voles*] down there, 

# littered about field. “+ 

We went down, 

and he had eleven of ’em there. 

Stretched out. 

# In that time, 

see. 

Just at break of day. JT> 

<SE And that was a badger,, 

was it? SE> 

<JT No, 

that were a fox. JT> 

<SE Oh yes. SE> 

<JT Oh, 

badger, 

he ‘d kill one probably and finish. 

# But uh # this were a fox. 

# They ‘ll kill ’em as quick as lightning. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT [!= laughs] 

I seen ’em do it. JT> 

<SE Have you? SE> 

<JT Yeah. 

They run and catch en, 

and give en a swing, 

and # his head ‘s off in a moment. 

And him after another directly. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT # And with most of ’em, 

see, 

# he ‘ll bite ’em right through the back. 

# Oh, 

and make their teeth meet practically, 

above his backbone. JT> 

|| 

<JT Well, 

there ‘s these steel mole traps made now. 

We used to make wooden traps, 

see. 

With a # spring. 

xxx, 

or have a # nice stout stick, 

what # drive en in the xxx ground, 

# bend en over. 

And then # have your wooden trap, 

# there, 

and peg on, 

there ‘s your # stick you want to bring over, 

see, 

he did fit in another peg, 

in the # wooden trap. 

Then [/] then [\] we had two wires in that wooden trap. 

Well, 

put in a # another peg, 

between the two wires. 

Well, 

when a mole come [: came] on to he, 

usually through one of them there # wires. 

Then he # had that muzzle in front of en. 

I soon get he rid. 

# Or # those already knock he out, 

see. 

# He released the # catch where we had this +… 

# Over in. 

# And up he goes. 

# Wire round here, 

and had en up under the # board, 

but # they were # a bit more trouble than it is now, 

because you got these ordinary # steel traps made +… 

There ‘s just +… 

Press en open, 

put the # muzzle pin in, 

and stick he in, 

and there you are. JT> 

|| 

<JT xxx farmer said uh # he ‘d have the # threshing tackle what we got. 

# Well, 

# another farmer had some corn, 

he didn’t have ’em. 

Well, 

he # let en have his # tackle, 

for to thresh his corn like that. JT> 

|| 

<JT Each other. JT> 

<SE Aye. SE> 

<JT Oh, 

a stationary engine, 

see? JT> 

<SE Hmm. 

Hmm. SE> 

<JT You pull that on +… JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> 

<JT Of course, 

whe they come [: came] out and took the place of [*frails*], 

no doubt # they thought they were wonderful, 

like we did the wireless when that come [: came] out. JT> 

<SE Hmm. 

Hmm. SE> 

<JT Well then uh, 

# the old stationaries died out, 

# and then these contractors took on, 

with a # with their traction engines, 

what do # haul that about from one farm to the other. 

That ‘s the # threshing contractor, 

see. 

That ‘s who took on the # threshing then. JT> 

<SE I see. SE> 

<JT And now I suppose, 

they ain’t got much trade now these combines. JT> 

<SE Hmm. SE> #

 

Transcription by Juhani Klemola and Mark Jones, 1999 See http://digital.library.leeds.ac.uk/381/1/LSE_1999_pp17-30_Klemola_Jones_article.pdf and http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/ach-allc.99/proceedings/scott.html