News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-02-22
AN ENGLISH VILLAGE.
The Wnys and Means OF the People in 1t
An Interesting Description.

h typical one in Devonshire-is usual
= almost entirely owned by one or perhar
two of the county gentlemen. In thi
o case the esquire" who lived at B
p Hall, a very fine old place five mile
II from the village, owned nearly ever.
house in the place. The village con
t sisted of one long street, from whicl
5 various lanes OF rOadways branched il
S different directions There was Il nea
little railway station, bit of common
a pond with some fine willows, and two
or three places of worship, one of whicl
was hoary with age, and stood in the
midst of an old church-yard, with 8
gateway which had done good service
three centuries ago. There were two
INNS, and a temperance pabIic-house
with q very gIoomy-lool1ing " tea-rOom. "
Just up the road the curate lodged, and
the rectory was a fine old brick mansion,
with gable ends and leafy garden. On
the outskirts of the village were one or
two rather fine houses, one, a solid brick
mansion, being the doctors, and the
other belonging to an old sea-captain.
This was, of course, only a village, in no
sense a town, and as such was, we think,
thoroughly typical.
The houses were nearly all on par,
some being little poorer some a little
better, but all inhabited by people who
earned their bread by hard labor; and in
this connection we would say that in an
English country place there are trades
unknown to us; for instance, that of
| thatching, and again of sheep-tending.
| The former once was a very thriving
! business, but has now so lost ground,
owing to scarcity of work, that it is by
no means advisable for many men in the
same place to follow it.
A good thatcher attends to roofs and
and to stacks as WELL and he is occupied
during the cold months i'll making his
own "spears, if he is thrifty, which he
sells to his employers and uses in fasten-
ing down the thatch. His men are paid
about fifty cents a day, his own earnings
being between nine and twelve dollars
weekly, which was considered, in Devon
shire language, 'fairish good earnings"
The other small trades-people i'll such
village will be the cobbler, who always
keeps his shop in his house-Often in
one window-the dressmaker and milli-
ner. who does "small work" for the
gentry, and has her little stufy room
full of apprentices, and the matchmaker,
perhaps, who also has his wares in his
front window, and his shop III piece
partitioned off of some room III his cot
tage.. Other stores will be there of
general character to supply the modest
needs of such a little community. and
unless a large town he very remote,
there Will be no shop in which much
money could bo expended many SUI
perfiuous articles purchased. As there
is always a market-tOwn to go to, the
farmers and their wives and daughters
make their purchases there on market
days, and so they rarely need to patron
ize the village stores,
To begin with, house rent. Let us
suppose the cottage OF thatcher or
other tradesman, like painter or under
farmer, consisting Of six or seven rooms,
there will be a tidy parlor, kitchen and
outside kitchen, and three to five upper
rooms. For this and a piece of ground
he will pay about twenty dollars year,
certainly not more, aud his taxes may
be five OF SIX. He will be sure to cult
vate his ground so as to bring in all the
vegetables needed for his family, and
there will he poultry, and one pig at
time fattening for family use, few, unless
! those with farm, caring for more than
one animal of the kind. One pig will
supply the family with bacon for the
winter, and the good housewife always
understands the curing of hams, and in
structs her daughters in the same
Occasionally eggs will be sold at such a
cottage, but as Il rule, there are always
one or two women in the village who
make such their exclusive right dairy
women, " who sell butter and eggs and
milk and cream.
Now let us see what the cottager's ex-
penses are.
His meals will probably be as follows:
Breakfast-bacon, either fried alone or
chopped up with potatoes; coffee or
beer; and a modicum of bread. Dinner
a stew, or piece of boiled meat with
greensboro vegetable-and occasionally
a simple pudding; to this is often added
beer or cider. Tea will be sure to con-
cio+ 0,,l1- Of I,rosJ o,,1 I,7,++,,, I,, +ro.,l =,
and tea, unless water cress be available;
and i'll some cases a supper of bread and
cheese will follow before bedtime. Oat-
meal porridge has lately come into more
general use i'll England, and the poorer
classes are beginning to find out how to
bake beans, and make use Of American
self-raising -four, ETC., while American
meats, even down to bacon, are eagerly
sought for as cheaper if not better.
In regard to his other family expenses,
the question of clothes is far simpler
than in our country, for except in rare
instances such a mans daughters would
not think of finery; II ''tidy" bonnet and
''best'' gown for Sundays, being all that
is necessary. Shoes and boots are al
ways of the most primitive and durable
fashion, and the stockings worn are
nearly always knitted by the woman OF
the family. Should dress he made
"Out, woman Of this class would rarely
pay above one dollar for the making, Sc
that a costume suitable for even church
: going, would not cost above three OF
four Prints or calicoes are compar
! itiyely high-priced, twelve cents Il yarC
being ordinarily asked for the quality.
I 1t was surprising to us tosee how Otter
I such a household as we describe lays 10y
I money. for at most the income rarely ex
ceeds three to five hundred dollars pc
ycar-more, as we know, than man,
g curates with large families have, since
t two hundred and fifty to four hUndreC
- are generally the incomes of these mino
clerical gentlemen-yet such is the case
few frugal minded cottagers being with
I out some hoard, for sickness or suddel
, need The great drawback to prosperit,
f in some cases is the existence of "lon,
I bills Tradesmcn, Iaborers, thatchcrs
D etc, are often paid once or twice yca
u SO that in their turn they are compelIc
to have bills with their butcher an
r. baker the system Of long credit serym
a ] ~. 4 /