AMONGST FARM HORSES

Book excerpt: This book is a unique and detailed account of a rural way of life formed from extensive academic research and oral testimony recorded in the 1970's. It tells of the farm servant system in East Yorkshire which was central to the rural economy in that area for men born before 1900. Boys as young as 13 would be looking after and working with as many as 4 heavy horses in a team. Their lives would be spent living in the farmhouse and would continue that way until they married. Rural history forms an essential part of national history, with different parts of the UK having very varied employment systems. This book describes how, although having roots deep in history, the East Riding farming system was thoroughly modern and profitable, paying good wages to its workers. Telling the stories of their lives in their own words, this book brings to life the intimate details of a distant way of living and working.