Feeing fairs; farmservants' conditions and accommodation.

Original Track ID

SA1952.10.A2

Original Tape ID

SA1952.010

Summary

Feeing fairs; farmservants' conditions and accommodation.

Muckle Friday, the Friday before term [i.e. term day, when contracts ended], was the real market; Rascal Friday was the Friday after term; the Great Rascal the one after Rascal Friday. This was for hiring farmservants who might have run off from their original fee [hire]. One farmer used to fee more than he needed to make sure he had people. Willie Mathieson never left his fee.

He describes one place as a bare farm with really poor food. Bothy life was draughty, and sometimes boots were frozen in the morning. Bothy beds were nailed to the floor. One morning he had no milk; some was brought and there was a mouse in it. Some farmers were decent but most were tightfisted. Willie was rarely 'bothied'; mostly he was 'chammert' [given a chaumer, i.e. room]: at Seggat he was 'cottared' [given a cottar house, i.e. cottage].

Item Notes

Partly transcribed for 'Tocher'.

Recording Location

Language

Scots

Genre

Information

Collection

SoSS

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good