Lan flaying

[Jill on the A272]

Any ideas?

Apr 24th 1866 George Maynard gone with his father to work “lan-flaying”. [inverted commas are in the original entry in 1866 school logbook]

His father was a sawyer. Flaying sounds like taking the bark off something...but what?

(George was 10 years old)

[Guest]

this is a good site for old occupations

http://www.familyresearcher.co.uk/glossary/Dictionary-of-Old-Occupations-Index.html

[Jill on the A272]

Thanks Val, could't find anything there but in the same source (a school logbook I've transcribed) I've now found this for the same time of year

"19 Apr 1864 Richard Harland kept at home to work. Children begin to go out peeling (flawing) hop-poles etc.Thos. Tidy absent taking care of a donkey."

so maybe it's a local (Sussex) term for for preparing hop poles.