CHAPTER VI. Sheep and Wool. Spinners and Weavers. Martin Reed the First True Manufacturer. His Character and Methods of Work. Colonel George Hazard's Mill. Linen. The Women who spun. Stockings and Mitts. Tailoring. Ir the details of the carly Narragansett life seem somewhat hard and prosaic, when we turn to the sheep there is an atmosphere of pastoral simplicity, an air of leisure and contemplation, that surrounds the great flocks. The country, with its hills and dales, its fine grass and abundant water, was well fitted to support the timid creatures who contributed so much to its comfort. Some 1 times in severe winters they suffered greatly. Dr. McSparran, writing in 1752, says that he had seen the Atlantic "froze as far as the human eye could reach." In 1780 there was a cold season long remembered, when the bay was frozen over, and not a ship moved in Newport harbor. In one of these cold winters a great flock was snowed in, in the little ravine on the east side of Tower 1 Updike, America Dissected, p. 525. Hill, near where the Tower Hill House now stands, which is still known as Dorothy's Hollow. The story is that their shepherdess braved the storm to try to rescue them, but perished herself with her sheep. Tales are also told of a flock edging into the sea, the exposed sheep taking refuge behind the others less exposed, till all were drowned. But such winters were the exception, and little shelter was usually provided for the flocks. At Anthony's on Point Judith the wall of a sheep-fold of the old pattern can still be seen. It is a high stone wall, running east and west, and not long ago still had its roof. The fold was open entirely at the south, except for the timbers that supported the roof. Such rude shelters were common, perhaps not unlike the places where shepherds watched their flocks by night centuries ago. In the early days there was still need for watchfulness. The Wolf Rocks beyond Kingston were occupied by their first inhabitants until quite recent years. Dogs, however, were not the trouble they are now. In fact, the sheep were so much more valuable than the dogs, but small consideration could be given any dog who developed worrying instincts. SHEEP AND WOOL 93 The great farmers all had their own flocks, each sheep with a distinctive ear mark. The South Kingstown records contain pages registering the different ear marks, and Nailer Tom duly mentions a change in that used by College Tom. Dr. McSparran mentions "butter, cheese, fat cattle, wool, and fine horses," as the principal products of Narragansett. Again he says, "I mentioned wool as one of the productions of this Colony, but although it is pretty plenty where I live, yet if you throw the English America into one point of view there is not half enough to make stockings for the inhabitants." He adds that he wishes "Ireland were at liberty to ship us their woolens, which we shall always want." The poor Doctor complained bitterly of the weather: "We are sometimes frying, and at others freezing," he says, and he evidently longed for his own Irish homespun. Thomas Hazard did not sell very much wool apparently, but raised enough to clothe his household. One hundred pounds is the largest sale, recorded in 1766, when it sold at 14 pence lawful. This must have been a particularly fine lot, for the 1 Updike, America Dissected, p. 516. same year another sale was made at ninepence a pound. The following year "Old wool and Dagg Locks" sold at fourpence half-penny a pound. This dag-locks, as we should write it, is an interesting word, from the Scotch "daggle," a drizzle of rain, hence anything daggled was moist, or draggled, and dag-locks were the long skirts of the sheep's fleece. In March, 1769, a man is paid for "one day's Work at Daging Sheep." The use of this word suggests the presence of Scotch shepherds in Narragansett. The prices of wool mark the depreciation of the currency very clearly. first year of the account book has it at eight shillings old tenor. It rises to twenty-eight shillings, three and a half times as much, in nine years. After the spasmodic effort after specie payments in 1766 and '67, in 1768 it is at thirty-two shillings old tenor. The entries of prices of wool are infrequent, however, as most of it was for home consumption. The Hind-quarters of mutton were often sold; and a saddle of mutton was a favorite roast, which must often have appeared on the home table. In 1750 a few sheep brought forty shillings each, and in 1767, twelve SOUTH DOWN STOCK 95 pounds old tenor, or nine shillings lawful. Some efforts were made to improve the breed, which degenerated somewhat from the original South Down stock, and Rowland Robinson imported a fine South Down ram. His anger can be well imagined when he discovered that a lazy negro, who was in the habit of helping himself from his flock, had killed this valuable beast to furnish a roast to his family. There were also a few of the short-legged "creeper" breed, which were prized by their owners. South County mutton is almost as famous as its turkeys, as the sweet grasses and broken surface of the country are particularly favorable to sheep. Of the shearing there is no mention, though Nailer Tom records both washing and shearing sheep for Cousin Hazard,1 but the wool was often combed at home, as in 1778, when Valentine Ridge is credited By combing at my house 40 lbs. of wool He also combed warfed at fourteen shillings old tenor a pound. Dr. Torrey's son John was a weaver as before noted, and this wool comber was very probably a son of 1 Narr. Hist. Register, vol. i. p. 280. |