On 09/03/2010 21:26, Alan Hill wrote: > They generallly lived in "tied" cottages, meaning their > accomodation went with the job-no job, no house. They were > employed for one year at a time but were free to change > employers, farms and districts when the contract expired. > Some stayed with the same farms for their entire lifetimes, > others moved about constantly. > > The date 12 May was significant in this regard, > > The hind was usually provided with a free cottage, of > varying quality, Alan My grandfather did indeed have a tied cottage - latterly a tiny 2-storey hovel called Pawston Birks Cottage, Barlow (not to be confused with a present-day bungalow of the same name) which was in the middle of a field. I say "hovel" because I have a 1933 Medical Officer of Health's detailed report on the condition of the building. This was 10 years after my grandfather moved out, but things were probably little different in his day. Perhaps this might be of general interest - it certainly gives the lie to any notion that agricultural workers all lived in a sort of rural paradise. Note that my grandfather accommodated his mother & father, his married sister + hubby & child, plus his two younger sisters and a younger brother. I've omitted personal info for obvious reasons - but the family then occupying the house is named on the report and consisted of 4 adults and 4 children. INSPECTION OF DWELLING HOUSE Situation of House: Pawston Birks Cottage, Barlow Age of House: over 200 years Owner: XXXXX Address: XXXXX Occupier: XXXXX Occupation: XXXXX Class of House: Kitchen & Attic Rent: 8/- per week (includes water rate of 1/- per week) Tenancy commenced: XXXXXXXX No of Rooms Living: 1 Sleeping: 1 Average person per room: 4 per bedroom: 8 No of inmates Adults M: 2 F: 2 Children M: 4 F: - Total: 8 Light and Free Circulation of Air Living Rooms Kitchen Size: 16'0" x 13'7" height 6'10" Cubic Space: 1703 Floor Space: 250 Windows Type: Y.L. Size; 3'2" x 3'2" Ventilation: Poor Lighting: Poor. Lighting area approx 1/25th of floor space Method of Heating: Range Method of Lighting: Oil Lamp Sleeping Rooms Attic Size: 22'8" x 15'7" Cubic Space: 2550 Floor Space: 350 Windows Type: Y.L. 1'6 x 1'3" Type: 2 skylights 1'10" x 1'3" Ventilation: Fair Lighting: poor. approx 1/50th of floor space Method of Heating: Open Fire Method of Lighting: No Oil Lamp Through House: No Back to Back: No Open Space Front: Yes Back: Yes Sides: Yes State of Dwelling House in regard to the following matters. Food Store: yes Position: off kitchen Light: yes Ventilation: yes Condition: floor and walls damp. Facilities for washing: none Water supply: D.C.W.B.* Position of cock: In kitchen Condition: - Sink: None Position: - Condition: - Sanitary Accommodation Type: A.C.** No: 1 Position: at front For sole use of house: Yes Condition: Fair. Door frame rotted off one side. Deposit of Ashes and Refuse: A.C. Drainage Kind: stoneware Connected to: cesspool Ventilation: no Inlets: - Intercepted: - Chamber: - Gullies: one Condition: inefficient & inadequate. Pipes laid just under ground surface. Top exposed in places. Pipes broken, joints defective. Cesspool sides pervious. Has no proper cover. Yard Size: - Paved: - Drained: - Condition: - Outbuilding Kind: Coal House Condition: Fair Door frame rotted off bottom. If Animals kept: No Kind: - No: - Site of buildings: - Any Basement Room to which Section 18(1) of Act applies: No Construction of premises Rubble stone with pantile roof covering, stone eaves. Internal Kitchen: Concrete floor, plastered walls, ceiled with boards between joists. Attic: Wood floor, plastered walls, boarded ceiling. All principle roof timbers exposed in room, lit by 2 small skylights and small window. State of Repair Externally All walls defaced, lack of pointing. Roof defective, lack of pointing, somes tiles displaced. North gable bulges badly. Roof sags, apparently defective timbers. Wood lintel over doorway rotted. All woodwork more or less rotted. The building is inclined over, lying over towards the east. There is no paving around the house. Other Defects Kitchen: floor badly cracked and defective. All plaster work loose and decayed, ceiling boards broken, brickworks of fireplace defective, bulge in front wall. No thresh to doorway. Window frame done. Attic: The exposed roof timbers are rotted, the ceiling shows many signs of rain penetration. Stairs rotted and defective. Dampness: The lower part of all walls; kitchen floor; walls of foodstore. Cleanliness: Fair Name of Inspecting Officer: XXXXX Signed: XXXXX * Durham County Water Board ** Ash Closet The family was rehoused and the house was demolished a short time after this report was written. Not all tied cottages were that bad - granddad's previous but one abode at Chesterwood near Haydon Bridge was really well built and in fact is still standing. See: http://www.bpears.org.uk/Albums/Outing_22Sep09/images/007_Comp.jpg Brian -- Brian Pears (Gateshead, UK) http://www.bpears.org.uk/ Joint List Admin NORTHUMBRIA Genealogy Mailing List GENUKI Northumberland Maintainer

I have a photo of my 2xg grandfathers farm at Crawcrook Co DUR. My grandmother who stayed there often as a child described the single storey annex on the side of the main farmhouse as "the hinds cottage" On all the census, the unrelated men are described as "servant". On one census "carter" was added and on another described as "agricultural servant". Usually there was more than one male servant at a time, so I presume they shared the "hinds cottage". There was always more than one female servant on the various census, so i expect they were housed in the main farmhouse, out of the way of the male servants. (This was a very religious household!) So on that farm at least no mention was made of the male servants (hinds) duties except as "carter". It was an arable farm _________________________________________________________________ Do you have a story that started on Hotmail? Tell us now http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/195013117/direct/01/