Tag Archives: agricultural labourer

Tales From The Old Bailey: Gloucestershire Connections

by cotswoldhistory Posted on April 14, 2013

TweetThe Old Bailey Online website, which details nearly 200,000 criminal trials held at the Old Bailey in London, marks its tenth anniversary this weekend. Yesterday, I published a case study taken from it – the tale of the Winchcombe highwayman. … Continue reading →

Posted in Gloucestershire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Scythes, tempers and pride – a dangerous combination

by cotswoldhistory Posted on July 30, 2012

TweetIn August 1840, William Campion, aged around 34, appeared before judge Mr Mr Justice Williams at Oxford Crown Court, accused with “maliciously and feloniously cutting and wounding” a man following an argument about his mowing skills. Campion and his victim, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bourton-on-the-Hill, Gloucestershire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“You cannot call yourself a man”: how pulling whiskers led to death

by cotswoldhistory Posted on April 26, 2011

TweetRichard Hughes was an agricultural labourer from Clapton-on-the-Hill, who had been working for local farmer Thomas Gardner for a number of years. Although he was 45 years old, he had never married, and lived at home with his elderly parents. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bourton-on-the-Water, Clapton-on-the-Hill, Gloucestershire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

International Women’s Day: The South Cerney Tragedy

by cotswoldhistory Posted on March 8, 2011

Tweet To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, I’d like to look at one Cotswold woman’s life, and how she fought, unsuccessfully, against her circumstances. Her life shows how difficult Victorian life could be for some women from poor backgrounds, … Continue reading →

Posted in Gloucestershire, Northleach, South Cerney | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

For The Want Of Two Shillings, A Life Was Lost

by cotswoldhistory Posted on January 13, 2011

TweetLouisa Jarvis was a silk worker in Chipping Campden in the mid-19th century. She started a relationship with a local agricultural labourer, William Bennett, in the late 1840s, and the two moved in together. This was fairly common in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Crippled By The Farmer’s Wife

by cotswoldhistory Posted on September 13, 2010

TweetRelationships between farmers and their agricultural labourers could often be strained, reflecting the differences in class and attitude towards them. Whereas some farmers were good employers, others could be strict; unsympathetic towards their workers’ plights; or just plain bad. But … Continue reading →

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The End Of (Mrs) Hope In Wyck Rissington

by cotswoldhistory Posted on March 15, 2010

TweetDeath was part of everyday life in the Victorian Cotswolds. Doctors charged for their services, which meant that many poor people could not afford to get healthcare and suffered on their own. Diseases spread quickly in close communities; mortality was … Continue reading →

Posted in Little Rissington, Naunton, Wyck Rissington | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Like Mother, Like Daughter: Chequered Lives Found Through An Inquest Report

by cotswoldhistory Posted on March 11, 2010

TweetSometimes, a random read of old newspapers can send you off on research that ends up going in an unexpected direction. That’s what happened when I chanced upon an inquest report in an 1871 edition of Jackson’s Oxford Journal. The … Continue reading →

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