Manor Farm Wages Ledgers
The Manor Farm Wages Ledgers
from The Barwicker No.51
Sept. 1998
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In my previous article (see Barwicker
No.50), I described how the Agricultural
Department at Leeds University ran courses and
carried out experiments at Manor Farm.
The Farm, situated between Barwick and
Garforth, was used by the University between 1898
and 1928, after which they transferred to Askam
Bryan. The running of the Farm would not have
been possible without the hard work of not only
the Academic Members of Staff, but also the many
people who carried out the day to day duties of
planting, harvesting and looking after livestock.
Apart from a set of Annual Reports from
the Department of Agriculture, the Leeds
University Archives has in its possesion two
Wages Ledgers, which provide a fascinating
insight into farm life during the First World
War. Ledger No. 8 covers the weeks from the 14th
of October 1914 to the 6th of January 1917, and
Ledger No.9 covers the period from the 20th of
January 1917 to the 22nd of November 1919.
FARM MANAGER
Very little is known about the people who
were in charge of runnning the Farm. J.R.Kirkham
signed the Wages Ledger as Farm Manager up to the
23rd of June 1917. Several entries are then left
unsigned until the 28th of July, when John Potts
is shown as Acting Farm Manager. On the 9th of
November 1917, the new Manager, James McHamish
signed the Ledger and continued to do so up to
the end of book 9 on the 22nd of November 1919.
FOREMAN
Charlie Noble was employed as Foreman
throughout the period of available information.
He was paid £1.4.8d for 7 days work in 1914. He
also supplemented his pay by providing food and
accommodation when required. He received 12
shillings extra on the 30th of January for
boarding 2 waggoners at 2 shillings per week,
from the 12th of December to the 14th of January.
On the 4th of August, he was paid a
quarterly allowance of£5 for beer and an
additional£2 for attendance during stock testing
time. For providing meals for thresher men he
was paid 7/4d on the 29th of September, plus
£1.8.2d for 15 boys potato picking. Attendance
money was also received on the 20th of April
during stock testing. A further £5 is
shown as being paid to him for beer and also
£2.10.0 for attendance on the 3rd of August 1918.
He also received additional income for boarding
up to 3 lads and 2 soldiers between the 28th of
July and the 9th of November 1917. On the 28th
of July, 13 shillings each was paid to him,
increasing to 15 shillings per person on the 22nd
of September. Other members of his family were
also employed from time to time as casual labour.
They are listed as J.Noble, F.E.Noble and
H.Noble. Sometimes J.Noble is spelt Nobel in the
Ledger, although the Foreman's name is always
spelt correctly.
MECHANIC
William Smith was employed to maintain the
machinery on the farm. He seems to have been
employed occasionally for a week at a time, but
no reference is made as to what equipment he
repaired. He was paid £2 for 6 days work less,
6.5d for National Insurance on the 14th of
October 1914, and also the same amount on the
30th of January 1915. The last entry on the 22nd
of November 1919, shows that he was paid £3.10.0,
but did not pay National Insurance. We know that
he originally lived at Laverack Cottages, but
moved to No.22 Leeds Road in 1929, after the
University abandoned Manor Farm. He was also a
member of Garforth Golf Club.
COWMAN
J Harker was employed as a Cowman between
the 17th of October 1914 and 31st of July 1915.
He was paid £1.1.0 for 7 days work less 4d for
National Insurance. H Fowler was also listed as
a Cowman and presumably senior to Harker because
he received £1.4.0 for 7 days work. He was
employed between the 17th of October 1914 and the
31st of July 1915. It is likely that both men
enlisted after this date. W.Mounsey and
J.Midgely are also listed as being Cowmen on the
27th of November 1915, whilst R.Bowes 'attended
calves'.
SHEPHERD
W.Mounsey worked on the Farm between the
17th of October 1914 and the 22nd of November
1919. He is listed in the Ledger as a Shepherd
until November 1915, when he was given the job of
looking after cows, after Fowler and Harker left.
His pay rose from £1.4.0 for 7 days work on the
17th of October 1914 to £2.7.0, plus 4/4d
overtime during threshing on the 22nd of November
1919. He also received an extra bonus on the
4th of August 1917 for `92 lambs reared (i.e.
sold or weaned @ 2d each)'.
LABOURERS
There are many names recorded in the ledger under
this heading. Most of these people were casual
labourers who probably travelled from farm to
farm in search of a few days work. Several
labourers were however employed on a more
permanent basis. J.Robson was paid£1 for 7
days work in October 1914 and spent his week
spreading dung, lifting potatoes and threshing.
His pay rose to £2.4.0 by November 1919. D.Acomb
worked up to the 31st of July 1915, when he
probably enlisted. He was paid £1 for 7 days
work, plus a further 1/6d for catching moles on
one occasion. W.Jennison and H.Jowett also
worked up to July 1915, and they may have
enlisted after this date. R.Bowes is also
recorded as a Labourer up to the 9th of September
1916, when he attended calves and caught moles.
Several soldiers also worked as labourers for a
short time in 1917. Were they possibly sent to
help out on farms before going on active service?
It would be interesting to know the answer. The
soldiers named in 1917 are Smithson, Shaw,
Fergerson, Dolman, Smart, Medland and Pentney.
In 1918, Corporal Driver and Privates Sewell,
Iredale, Batty and Barker were employed.
Thresher Men At Manor Farm.
From left to right,
Arthur Muscroft, George Torville, The Chaff Lad,
Charlie Plows, Harry Jowett,
Bill Jennison,
Charlie Noble (Foreman), `Old Buckingham', Harry
Adamson, Jimmy Eccles.
POULTRY MAN
H.Kirkham was the Poultry Man between the
17th of October 1914 and the 31st of July 1915,
after which date he probably enlisted. He was
paid only £1 for 7 days work less 4d for National
Insurance. Miss E.Schofield is recorded as
being in charge of poultry from the 29th of
September 1917, when she received £4 for 4 weeks
work. On the 22nd of November 1919 she was given
back pay from the 14th of July to the 31st of
October of £5.6.7d, making a total of £6.19.1d.
She paid only 3d National Insurance. J.Harker
Jr. was employed as a Poultry Boy up to the 30th
of January 1915 and only received 7/6d for 7 days
work.
EDUCATIONAL LABORATORY
T.Thorpe worked in the Educational
Laboratory throughout the period. He received 18
shillings for a 6 day week. He was sick for 2
days on the week of the 20th of April when only
12 shillings was paid to him. In the last entry
of the 22nd of November 1919 he is assigned to
the gardens and paid £1.1.0.
CHARWOMAN
Miss C.Kilburn worked as a charwoman up
until the end of July 1915. She was paid 2/9d
for 1 days work. Miss Simpson, Mrs Balderson and
Mrs Booth were also employed up to June 1919.
The last entry in November 1919 shows that a Mrs
Birch was paid 16/8d for 20 hours work, cleaning
the Educational Building.
GARDEN BOY
W.Hemsworth worked as a Garden Boy up to
the 30th of January 1915, and was paid 18
shillings for a 6 day week. It is possible that
he enlisted after this date.
WAGGONERS
H Vause was employed as a waggoner and was
paid£27 as an annual sum in November 1914.
W.Day and H.Carr also worked as waggoners and
were paid an annual sum of £25.17.0 and £23.10.0
respectively in November 1915. These are the
only people recorded in the Ledger to be paid
annually and this may have been as a retainer for
their services, when required.
DAIRY INSTRUCTRESS
Miss A D.McKerrow was appointed in 1898
and apart from giving practical instruction at
the farm, also ran courses across the County with
a travelling Dairy School. An entry in the
Barwick in Elmet School Log Book for 1898 notes
that she gave a `dairy lecture to the lower
classes'.
Miss McKerrow was employed by the
Agricultural Department, and therefore her pay is
not recorded in the Ledger. There are however, a
number of receipts attached to the Ledger for
boarding a Miss Broadbent, for which she was paid £2.4.0 every 4 weeks.
She resigned her position in 1925, but
continued to be in charge of the Dairy Hostel,
which may have been at Stone Leigh, on Wakefield
Road at Garforth. Miss A.McGlashan took over
from Miss McKerrow until 1927, when Miss
B.C.S.Prowse became Instructress in Dairying.
OTHER STAFF
The Ledger lists over 125 different people
who were employed at the Farm between 1914 and
1919. Here below are a few of the names.
S.Harker, Simkins, Attwood, G.Harker, McLain, Bagnall, G.Bowes, T.Tooth, Manning,
F.Bowes, G.AndrewFox, J.Martin, D.Dun, J.Stanton, C.Martin, Wm Lawley, Bedwell,
A.Hainsworth, W.McGuinness, H.Marshall, T.Barber, P.Mathews, Smithson, H.Morrit, J.Moore, F.Castle,
C.Jones, W.Rice, B.Barker, A.Cheesborough, J.H.Rooke, R.Iredale, J.Learoyd, J.B.Walters, A Gent, T.Wilson, R.Potts, W.T.Binns,
Breman, S.A.Fellows, R.Routledge, J.Poulet, W.Poulter, W.H.Hill, Linskill, J.Steel, McCain, S.Hicks, H.Cooper, P.Clapham.
I would like to express my thanks to Leeds
University Archives for their help and for access
to the Wages Ledgers.