Farms and farming
-
Grazing on Chrishall Common
Before the Enclosure Acts, Chrishall Common was the land at the back of the High Street heading over towards Chishill. Exactly where it was I don’t know but you do see it marked on old maps …
-
Traction Engines: George Swann
George Swann was another of the Drage & Kent drivers. While he didn’t live in Chrishall he worked with many of the men who did of course. Summer 1928 – George Swann driver, aged about 16 These photographs are kindly reproduced with the permission of Clive Flack and Kevin Swann, George’s father. Here Kevin describes…
-
Reapers
Chrishall Reapers: Amos Pitches, Walter Webb, Timothy Harvey, Charlie Banks, Alfred Walters, Billy Barnes, Albert Reed, Fred Reed. This team was swanging charlock. To ‘swange’ (pronounced swonj) was to cut off the flowers of the weed before they seeded. The tools used were generally home-made, and were known as “swanging’ (or swonjing) hooks. The one…
-
Haymakers with hoops
The Haymakers. The willow hoops on the end of the scythes helped to control how the hay fell once cut. From left to right: William Revell Amos Pitches William Cranwell Albert Drury Leonard Flack Herbert Flack (Names supplied by Dorrie Brand via Bruce Drury – March 2009)
-
Traction Engines: Arthur Cane
These photos were taken on the 1st May 1928. Arthur Cane (born 1904?) worked for Drage & Kent of Chrishall working with the steam plough teams. Two engines, one at each end of the field would pull the plough by a cable turned by an horizontal cable drum under the boiler. For those interested in these…
-
Crawley End Chrishall – sheep grazing
This unusual view (1980s) is from the field on the east side of Mill Causeway looking at the backs of the former council houses. Rosemarie Gant (Davies) remembers driving her small first car, a renault 5, along Crawley End and meeting the sheep which were being herded along the road to go to grazing further…
