Dowlish Wake Heritage

Day

Weather

Summary - February

Place & People of Interest

1

Snowy

Monday 

Made to Chard Great Market for Cows Calves – nothing that would suit dairyman. Paid Jn Crisp for threshing £6 3s. Paid Whightman and Denning Bill 12s. Paid Bulpins bill for oils 15s. Discount on above bills 2 shillings.

Chard Great Market for sheep and cattle held on the first Monday, during the months of Dec, Jan, Feb, March and April.

John Crisp

Whightman & Denning

Bulpin

Chard Great Market

2

Fine

Tuesday. Candlemas

On my return from market yesterday found Wm Ottler here and before he left, Bailey came in to say one of the cows, the lovely one, was down and could not get up. There is a cold on the kidneys the day after calving.

Wm Ottler

Bailey

Ferreting

3

Fine

Wednesday. 

Ferreting Rabbits

 Dear little Anstice is Herbert Edward Anstice born 1854.

 Paid Mr Denmans boy of bill £3. Thomas sent two lambs – one of his wifes  Ewes? I went out Ferreting Rabbits Huddy, Duke and Norton in Squash Withy Bed. Found a lot of little rabbits and killed about sixteen old ones … little ones. Mother sent [?] she will come up Sunday and bring Anstice with her.

Denmans

Huddy

Duke

Norton

Anstice

4

Stormy

Thursday

Drove Thomas Bishop up to Hawkchurch to the late Wm Barns sale of Dairy Cows. They were all in calf Cows except one and sold at a very high price and considerably more than they were worth to market. Paid very old servant for [?] care of house.

Thomas Bishop

Wm Barns 

Hawkchurch

5

Stormy

Friday

Sent Bishop to ‘laid out’ some ‘to the’ stones in the roads towards Dowlish’ Rode down to Allowenshay to see Hugh Chick about his going to County Court on Wed night to witness [?] case of Cuff and [?]

Bishop

Hugh Chick 

Allowenshay 

County court

6

Stormy

Saturday

Dear Susan and self, called last evening on Mrs Huddy to see her. I went up in the bedroom for the first time and saw she appeared more like her old self, [?] heal. Susan gave Mrs [?] Norton the balance of [?] Dressmaking 14s.

Mrs Huddy

Mrs Norton

7

8

Fine

Monday

Drove dear Susan as far as Mrs Wm Glydes Winsham to spend the day with her. I drove on to Mrs Pratts sale Greenham Farm, and brought a cow in calf that Wm Chaaffey of Moolham had put in the sale. She cost me £12 5s.

Wm Glydes

Mrs Pratts

Wm Chaaffey 

Greenham fm

Winsham

9

Stormy

Tuesday

Rode up to Wm [?] James sale at Croft Farm near Crewkerne and brought a cow in calf. £12 She is an old one but a good milker [?] sold very high, some nice young cows yielded nearly £20 each and over.

Wm James

 Croft Fm

10

Fine

Wednesday

Rode to Crewkerne to attend the County Court in an action I brought against [?] Marsh surveyor of Lower Seavington Parish for an amount of damages caused to gig & harness re this accident by neglecting to clean the road of stones. £4 13s 6d

Newspaper Report.

John Symes Cuff of West Dowlish V. Thomas Marsh surveyor of Highways for Seavington St Mary.  John claiming £5 damages for negligently allowing a heap of hedge thorns to lay in the road – leading from Lopen Head to Allowenshy on 26th of September last. Causing the plaintiff’s horse to shy and run away. Coach Builder £3, Harness £11-11shillings, Tailor 2s 6d, and solicitor £6 and 6 shillings. The evidence was gone in to at some length, after which his Honour gave verdict for the plaintiff, damages £4 13s 6d. Disallowing the £6-6s.

Western Flying Post, Tue 23 Feb, 1858.

Thomas Marsh 

Court Case

Lower Seavington

11

Stormy

Thursday

Speke is his landlord. 

Carpenter

 Dear little Anstice is Herbert Edward Anstice born 1854.

Have been expecting to see mother come up with dear little Anstice. Wm Speke called and saw what I wanted done here, ordered [?] Williams, his carpenter to take down all timber work

Wm Speke

Williams

12

Fine

Friday

Omitted to say on Wednesday last I sent my wagon and three horses to Greenham after my dairyman and his mother and their goods they drove home the cow I brought at sale of Mrs Pratt on Monday last.

Mrs Pratt

13

Fine

Saturday

I paid Thursday Wm Wyatts Leine bill due. J Ostler and Wm Lane called last night and slept here. I drove the latter to South Petherton and dined at W [?] Baleys and afterwards drove him to the station.

Joseph Ostler

?Baley

Wm Wyatt Leine

14

none

15

Fine

Monday

Commenced hauling out the turnips and I could spare in Seven Acres in order for the hogs to eat off, the remainder I soon as possible to put the ground into wheat. Wm Ben Speke called and drank tea here.

Wm Benjamine Speke

16

Fine

Tuesday

I went out rabbiting and killed three we had very plain sport.  Sent a man to pull up some of the turnips in Lower Woods ? to make room for the cows ? to go there. Finished ploughing ground up to [?]

17

Frosty

Wednesday

Went out rabbiting in the fields and killed only 2 rabbit. J Norton came out to us and went with us a little as I had the ground cleaned of turnips by the sheep drilled in tw/low [?]

 ….party at Helliars tonight 

J Norton

Helliars

18

Frosty

Thursday

Went out rabbiting today around the hedges at West Dowlish and only killed four rabbits.  I catch up and dined out with old Ben Speke our worthy incumbent at Wake Hill and met the Seigers and the best of the parish officials [?]

B Speke

Seigers

19

Frosty

Friday

Went and put on my men draining on Higher Woods. Four feet [?] allowed by landlord allow for taking our 3ft 9 inch deep [?] rope for marking the channelling and piping.

Draining the land

20

Frosty giving out

Saturday

Sent Thom Bishop and boy with two horses and waggon to Wharf after 51 cwt of coal and went around and let the poor of East and West Dowlish have it at 6d [?] each to have 1cwt as requested. 

 Thomas Bishop 

Wharf

Parish poor allowed fuel 

Comment by archive staff £1-50 for 100lbs of coal ?

21

none

22

Frosty

Monday

Have some of the men busy draining Higher Woods [?]  The horses in the machine thrashing out the rats[?]  I had the turnips down in Woods [?]  today with 50? Couples. Sent for [?]… Flood to come over to buy pigs.

Mr Flood

23

Tuesday

Had [?] horses and putts half a day and finished laying all the flints. I had to put .. in the Cricket Road in West Dowlish. Matthew Flood came and bought 20 slip pigs of me at 17s each and 2/6 for luck.

Matthew Flood

24

Fine

Wednesday Fathers Greyhounds - coursing

Sent Henry White down to Burton with a note to ask Father to come up with his dogs to [m?]  and go over to Cudworth Coursing and send me the dogs by [HW?] if he cannot come.

Henry White

Cudworth Coursing

25

Frosty

Thursday

Could not go Coursing until after 12 oclock through the severe frost last night.  I had fathers two greyhounds,  Countess and Spring. The former went very well and Mr Bonds best bitch twice??

Bonds/Boards

26

Frosty

Friday

I loaned/landed my chase[?] yesterday out coursing but she is better today. Susan and self dined last night at Huddys of a nice goose I gave them. Met there Henry James and James Duke

Henry James 

James Duke

Huddy

27

Snowy

Saturday

Mangols- Mangolds- Mangelwurzels – feed for cattle

Busy yesterday and today hauling dung for mangols in Lower Woods after Seaelles  tunnifox le?? Matthew Flood came after the 20 slip pigs I sold him Tuesday and paid for them I gave him … etc money.£17 2s 6d

M Flood

28

none