working life of women seventeenth century - School of Economics ...

AGRICULTUREis not drye as it should be, thou must make butter andchese when thou may, serue thy swine both IuGrcyngand eueninge, and giue thy polen meate in the mornynge,and when tyme of yeare cometh thou must takehede how thy henne, duckes, and geese do ley. and togather up their egges and when they waxe broudy to setthem there as no beastes, swyne, nor other vermynehurte them, and thou must know that all hole fotedfoule wil syt a moneth and a1 clouen foted foule wylsyt but three wekes except a peyhen and suche othergreat foules as craynes, bustardes, and suche other.And when they haue brought forth theyr birdesto se that they be well kepte from thegleyd, crowes,fully martes and other vermyn, and in the begynyngof March, of a lytle before is time for a wife to makeher garden and to get as manye good sedes and herbesas she can, and specyally such as be good for the potand for to eate & as ofte as nede shall require it mustebe weded, for els the wede wyll ouer grow the herbes,and also in Marche is time to sowe flaxe and hempe,for I haue heard olde huswyues say, that better isMarche hurdes then Apryll flaxe, the reason appereth,but howe it shoulde be sowen, weded, pulled, repealed,watred, washen, dried, beten, braked, tawed, hecheled,spon, wounden, wrapped, & ouen. It nedeth not forme to shewe for they be wyse ynough, and thereof maythey make shetes, bord clothes, towels, shertes, smockes,and suche other necessaryes, and therfore lette thydystaffe be alwaye redy for a pastyme, that thou benot ydell. ~ n undoubted d a woman cannot get herlivinge honestly with spinning on the dystaffe, butit stoppeth a gap and must nedes be had. Thebolles of flaxe whan they be rypled of, muste be rediledfrom the wedes and made dry with the sunne toget out the seedes. How be it one maner oflinsede called lokensede wyll not open by the sunne,and therefore when they be drye they must be sorebruien and broken the wyves know how, & thenAGRICULTUREwynowed and kept dry til peretime cum againe.Thy femell hempe must be pulled fro the chuclehepe for this beareth no sede & thou muste doe by itas thou didest by the flaxe. The chucle hempe dothbeare seed & thou must beware that birdes eate it notas it groweth, the hempe thereof is not so good asthe femel hepe, but yet it wil do good seruice. Itmay fortune sometime yt thou shalte haue so manythinges to do that thou shalte not we1 know where isbest to begyn. The take hede whiche thinge shouldbe the greatest losse if it were not done & in whar spaceit would be done, and then thinke whar is the greatestloss & there begin. . . . It is c6venient for ahusbande to haue shepe of his owne for many causes,and then may his wife have part of the wool1 to makeher husbande and her selfe sum clothes. And at theleast waye she may haue ye lockes of the shepe therwithto make clothes or blankets, and couerlets, or both.And if she haue no wol of her owne she maye take wollto spynne of cloth makers, and by that meanes shemay have a conuenient liuing, and many tymes to doother workes. It is a wiues occupacion to winow a1maner of cornes, to make malte wash and wring, tomake bey, to shere corne, and in time of nede to helpeher husbande to fyll the mucke wayne or donge carte,dryve the plough, to lode hey, corne & such other.Also to go or ride to the market to sell butter, chese,mylke, egges, chekens, kapons, hennes, pygges, gees,and a1 maner of corne. And also to bye al maner ofnecessary thinges belonging to a houshold, and tomake a true rekening & accompt to her husbandwhat she hath receyued and what she hathe payed.And yf the husband go to the market to bye or sellas they ofte dd, he then to shew his wife in lyke maner.For if one of them should use to disceiue the other,he disceyveth him selfe, and he is not lyke to thryve,& therfore they must be true ether to other.'' Fltzherbert (Slr Anth.), Boke ofHurbandryr.