In 1867 Edward Stanhope published his findings into the lives of agricultural labourers as part of a Royal Commission to review the employment of women and children in Agriculture. Gangs proliferated, as they do today and this is an extract from his findings:
Bright – labourer, Pigeon End, Spalding. – My girl of 8 goes to work: she doesn’t go in a gang; she goes to a farmer. I wouldn’t let her go in a gang. She goes at 6 and gets back at 6. I have six children. We’ve two bed-rooms. I’ve seen 13 or 14 come out of a morning from that house (two doors off), boys and girls and women. We don’t know whether they are married or not. It’s the same size as mine. They lie as thick as thieves, and they live like pigs.
Mrs.Wilson, labourer’s wife – I used to go in a gang. I have been six miles to work. I had to be at Little London (two miles off) at 6.
Mrs Gray, labourer’s wife – I don’t go to work now. My mother sent all her’s out at 6 years old to tent birds[1] at 3d. and 4d. a day. They can’t read or write most of them. I don’t know a letter in the book hardly.
John Quincey, labourer – I go with a machine. I get 3s. a day, but I’ve not had a full week’s work since harvest. I’m out of work now (Nov.21). I shan’t get anything more to do, except odd days. There’s lots more like me. The farmers here employ very few men in the winter. My boy is 12; he is tenting now. He gets 8d. He first went three years ago, and got 3d. He can’t read or write, nor can my wife. He’ll go to night school this year, if I can. It costs us 14d. a day for bread.
Mrs. Wakelin – widow, was out at work in the fields. Had none children. One bed-room. Some of them slept on the floor, some in the small kitchen. A girl of 7 and a boy of 8 left in charge of the younger children.
[1] Bird scaring
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