Hiring of farmservants and flitting on term days.
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1983.058
Original Tape ID
Summary
Hiring of farmservants and flitting on term days.
Hiring markets were held at Hawick, Jedburgh, St Boswells and Earlston about six weeks before the half-yearly term days. In Hawick hiring used to take place outdoors, but latterly was inside in the mart. There was a big dance in the Hawick town hall afterwards. On term day farmservants flitted [moved house] with their belongings and children piled into a cart and sometimes someone playing a fiddle. Wat Crawford speaks of a time when he flitted as a farmservant.
Item Notes
The term days were the days to which farmservants' six-monthly contracts ran.
Recording Location
County - Roxburghshire
Parish - Cavers
Village/Place - Denholm
Item Location
Village/Place - The Borders
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good