Farming fn West Wales
In the 19th century
{Part 5)
Some farmers provided
their labourers with food,
and they paid them 4 to S
pence a duy as subsistence
for their families. This paymcnt bore no relation to the
price of provisions, or the
work that the labourer had
to perform. Chief food to
the labouring class was bartey bread, and very few
labourers could boast they
owned cows.
"I'he price of barley was
between 5 to 6 shillings a
bushel. Bazley did not contain
the malt of corn, and to the
lalwuring classes, malt liquor
and meat were far beyond
their means. Satted butter
retailed at between 9 and 10
pence a pound. Skim milk
cheese 4 to 4'/z pence a pound,
wool 2 shillings a pound. Fuel
was from 3 to 4 shiilin~s a
load, and the carriage to any
dis~anee enormously high.
"i'his was generally paid far by
labour during harvest time.
Car a distance of 5 tb 6 miles,
the lakmurer had to work for
four Aays, for each load he
received. It was generally
reckoned tha[ each family
would require six loads.
'1'hc pc:uan~ti were certainly
very poor and the enclosure of
land hit them very badly.
Land that before had suPP~~~~
them with furze and thrn~ns for
fuel was now cultivated.
luckily, in C:ardiganshrre,
the sea supplied them with
large supplies of fogd. During
the summer months, ash was
plentiful, and come the
Autumn, the herring Sishermen
of Aberporth and St Ik~gmaels
had huge catches.
People purchased huge
quantities of the fish, which
were either salted, smoked or
pickled with the Yesult that
they had supplies stored for
the winter.
'Che heavy duty on salt had
a tendency to preclude the
yossibility of winlcr store, but
this handicap was overcome
by importing illegal Irish salt
which was transported in the
"false bottoms" of the locally
built sloops. 'There was also a
considerable trade of salt
smuggling along the Cardigan
13ay coastline, which was of
considerable help to the poor
families. Salt was really a
way of lire to the "Cardi," and
was used extensively in salting
meat, fish and butter.
Beef, matron anJ pork were
sold at 5 pence per ~~und, and
veal ,at 3 pence. Soon after
2~iose Were
die ~1ays
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by DONALD DAViES
Christmas meal became
scarcer, as less stock was
available for slaughter, with
the result that prices increased
dramatically. During the
Spring,. the local butchers sold
their meat a[ 6'/ pence to 7
pence per pound. Fowls were
always plcntifui, and a g~~d
bird could bc; purchase) for H
pence to 9 pence apiece;.
'turkeys were available at 3
shillings, and ducks and geese
a great deal cheaper. Fresh
'1'eiCi salmon. could be purchase~! from 5 pence to 9
pence a pound, and if salted or
dried, from 6 pence to 10
pence. Most of these were
well beyond the poc:ke[ of the
labowing porn.
At the turn of the century,
the county roads had improved
immensely, and Meyrick stated, "they were as good us any
in the kingdom."
The
Turnpike roads had been
Icvcliul and Uicrc was a plentilul supply of materials availablc for their upkeep. fhe
parish roads had also
im~iroved out of all recognition.
Mcyrick found that farm
houses were generally very
bad, with very pcx~r sanitation.
"Chc outbuildings were also fu
from satisfactory, and he stated [hat the barns were too
small, with scarcely any room
in them to work.
"Barns which could take u
rick of cairn, wish sufficient
space for threshes, would
answer every purpose; as in
genera! the corn is better preserved in rink yards than in
houses. A slorchou,re was
scurrely !o be seen, and when
the rattle want .straw, the corn
must be carried fo marker, o~
kepi in houses in slacks, ,subjecllo the depredations ojve~min, and the injuryvjcfamP•~~
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