Harvesting in Shropshire

Irish gang Linley early 20th century (image) [+]
This Irish harvest gang are "stooking" barley at Linley farm near Broseley. They are wearing aprons to protect them whilst they bind the crop by hand. These gangs were sometimes called "moaners" because they were always complaining about lack of work or ...

Shropshire has never been known as an arable farming county. However in the south –east there was wheat growing, barley was grown in the central and northern areas and oats were popular in the higher lands of the south-west and north-west.
Harvesting of cereal crops changed little over hundreds of years. Crops were cut with a sickle higher up the stalk than today. Cattle and sheep were then allowed into the fields or it could be reaped for thatch, bedding or even fuel.
Scythes were faster but women found them difficult to use and barley stalks blunted their blades.
The mowers were divided into “bandwins” and “heads”. Bandwins were teams of six sickle reapers and a bandster who made bands out of straw to tie the sheaves. Heads were larger teams made up of reapers, gatherers, bandsters and a raker. Sheaves of wheat were collected into stooks and allowed to dry for about three weeks. The stooks were loaded into carts with pitchforks ready for threshing. “Gleaners”, usually poorer people, were then allowed on to the field to search for stray ears of corn amongst the stubble.
During the 19th Century mechanical corn cutters were introduced. By the end of the century only a quarter of the harvest was cropped by hand.