Week 32: My ancestor was a Shepherd

[Darksecretz]

Week 32: Shepherd



This is an opportunity to showcase a shepherd from your family tree, you might want to offer a short biography and speak about their work eg
Name
Birth location/date
Family background
Where you've found them on the census
Their workplace/employer
Any tips on researching this occupation?

[Next week: Butcher]

https://www.familytreeforum.com/arti...nd-occupations

[jenoco]

My great grandmother's brother was a shepherd on Imber Down, Salisbury Plain. Thomas Carter, the youngest of ten children, was born in 1876. The information I have about him comes from the memories he recorded as per the book Little Imber on the Down. Thomas described how, during lambing season, the shepherds searched the downs with lanterns and kept their stoves going in their cottages/shelters all night to warm and revive poorly lambs. His bed was usually a bale of straw.

In earlier years,Thomas was also charged with ringing the eight o'clock bell for early morning service. He was given music lessons by the vicar (his father, James, was gardener and groom at the vicarage). He then taught himself to play the cello which had been made by his great grandfather and successfully competed against his brothers. James had told his sons that whoever could perform best on the cello could have it. He later joined a small group which played at the vicarage and gave small concerts.

The book mentions that an earlier local custom had been for shepherds to hold a Sunday service on the downs.

After a couple of years of shepherding, Thomas became a groom and later worked in a dairy. He married Margaret Oram in 1900.

[Janet in Yorkshire]

My mother's father Len was a shepherd, although I have no recollection of him as he died before my first birthday. His father George was also a shepherd; both men were born in the village where I was brought up and then came back to live when I retired. George's parents were recorded here in 1841 census and I am the last of the line to still have a connection with the village.
Mum taught me the shepherd's count - in our dialect, yar ,twa, tethera, methera, pip; teezer, leezer, quatra, nova, dick; yardick, twadick, thetheradick, metheradick, bumper; yardebumper, twadebumper, tetherebumper, metherebumper, jigger. Jigger was the end of the count and you started again.
In my childhood days, if something was the absolute end, beyond belief, incredulous etc, then elderly men would refer to it as " by, it's a jigger." My friend's father always used yar and twa for one and two in everyday conversation.

The local friendly society here (the "club") which men paid into every week and in return got a small benefit payment in times of sickness or hardship, was "The Ancient Order of Shepherds." Sheep farming was predominant here, as the land is hilly with very little topsoil. Lots of fertiliser is needed for decent grass for cattle to graze on, but ideal conditions for rearing sheep.

[Janet in Yorkshire]

My mother's father Len was a shepherd, although I have no recollection of him as he died before my first birthday. His father George was also a shepherd; both men were born in the village where I was brought up and then came back to live when I retired. George's parents were recorded here in 1841 census and I am the last of the line to still have a connection with the village.
Mum taught me the shepherd's count - in our dialect, yar ,twa, tethera, methera, pip; teezer, leezer, quatra, nova, dick; yardick, twadick, tetheradick, metheradick, bumper; yardebumper, twadebumper, tetherebumper, metherebumper, jigger. Jigger was the end of the count and you started again.
In my childhood days, if something was the absolute end, beyond belief, incredulous etc, then elderly men would refer to it as " by, it's a jigger." My friend's father always used yar and twa for one and two in everyday conversation.

The local friendly society here (the "club") which men paid into every week and in return got a small benefit payment in times of sickness or hardship, was "The Ancient Order of Shepherds." Sheep farming was predominant here, as the land is hilly with very little topsoil. Lots of fertiliser is needed for decent grass for cattle to graze on, but ideal conditions for rearing sheep.

[Countrymouse]

I have heard the expression, " Well, I'll be jiggered" and wonder if that's connected? That's in Kent.

[cbcarolyn]

My mother's father Len was a shepherd, although I have no recollection of him as he died before my first birthday. His father George was also a shepherd; both men were born in the village where I was brought up and then came back to live when I retired. George's parents were recorded here in 1841 census and I am the last of the line to still have a connection with the village.
Mum taught me the shepherd's count - in our dialect, yar ,twa, tethera, methera, pip; teezer, leezer, quatra, nova, dick; yardick, twadick, tetheradick, metheradick, bumper; yardebumper, twadebumper, tetherebumper, metherebumper, jigger. Jigger was the end of the count and you started again.
In my childhood days, if something was the absolute end, beyond belief, incredulous etc, then elderly men would refer to it as " by, it's a jigger." My friend's father always used yar and twa for one and two in everyday conversation.

The local friendly society here (the "club") which men paid into every week and in return got a small benefit payment in times of sickness or hardship, was "The Ancient Order of Shepherds." Sheep farming was predominant here, as the land is hilly with very little topsoil. Lots of fertiliser is needed for decent grass for cattle to graze on, but ideal conditions for rearing sheep.

How interesting.

apparently Charles Dickens use "I'll be jiggered" in Great Expectations, can't seem to find an answer of the origins, come seem to think he invented, but after this maybe not so sure

[Jill on the A272]

My husband's 3x great grandfather was Thomas Harwood or Chandler (his parents married a few weeks after he was born in 1808, mother Sarah Harwood, father Thomas Chandler and just to complicate things his 2x great grandfather John Harwood of Pulborough is also my 6x great grandfather). He married as Harwood and is on the 1841 as Harwood. His children were baptised or registered as Harwood and my ancestor Edmund Harwood would have registered the births as he was the local registrar (and shoe/boot maker).

Thomas was a shepherd at the foot of the Sussex downs at Sutton, where my ancestors also lived. Sometimes he went by the name of Harwood, and sometimes Chandler.

Here he is in 1851 next door to his parents under the name of Chandler, while in 1861 he was away from home at Funtington as Chandler again lodging with a railway gate keeper. There was a sheep fair on at the time so he would have been there for work, but was back home in 1871 (Chandler) and in 1881 he was an invalid. He died in 1882 and was buried as Thomas Chandler by the curate and there is a snotty note by Sockett the vicar about his being the illegitimate son of a woman named Harwood. (Though it is a very useful snotty note).

[Janet in Yorkshire]

cbcarolyn
Jigger was sometimes regarded as the alternative for a swearword??? The old man next door to us (Harry) went a bit "odd" and his wife said she could make nothing of him - he just sat in his Windsor chair and kept muttering to himself , and swearing out loud. Mum asked what he was shouting and apparently it was "jigger!" Mum explained to the wife that she thought Harry had lapsed back in time and was back in the sheepfold, counting his sheep. Harry was a former shepherd, as was his father before him, who was always referred to as "Ship" (broad Yorkshire dialect for Shep, the abbreviation for shepherd.) That was when she taught me the shepherd's count.