Flintshire Memories: Rural reflections of an earlier age

By Flintshire Chronicle on Sep 29, 09 04:22 PM in 1900-1999

THIS week's snapshots reveal a busy harvest scene at a time when rural life was dominated by farming.

The first picture was sold at Dodd's Property Auction in Mold earlier this year to descendants of the Jones Balers Agriculture Machinery Manufacturers.

Noel Jones, son of the late Glynne Jones, co-founder of Jones Balers, immediately recognised its significance.

Just after the First World War great swathes of land were toiled over by large numbers of farm labourers.

Hard times later forced many families, like the Jones family, to have their homes and farms repossessed when they couldn't pay the rent.

Fearing poverty and homelessness, the younger members of the family invested in a steam contraption similar to that pictured, which went on the road to gather the hay and crops at scores of North Wales farms during early autumn through to winter.

The steam engine had bands connected to the thresher to start the mechanised process.

Mr Jones can't be sure where exactly the photograph was taken. He said: "I've made inquiries about who the seller was but so far have had no success.

"But the photograph is very important. We would dearly love to find out where it was taken and who features in it. It must have belonged to someone with strong connections to those activities all those years ago. Which my family was.

"It shows the start of mechanised farm production in the early 20th century and could even be one of the earliest pictures depicting the Jones family and the origins of Jones Balers.

"It shows an annual threshing operation. The corn crop would be piled up. The elderly men would use long pikels to heap piles heavier than their own body weight to the women waiting on top of the thresher.

"They would push the crop in through the top of the machine. It looks an unusual and dangerous practice, a health and safety hazard even. But in those days this was a common autumnal practice.

"The thresher would separate the grain and place it in bags and the straw would be scattered for animal feed.

"All the farm hands, families, even their children, assisted in providing what was a massive food production service for the country.

"Across the countryside, steam engines would be driven in a convoy, pulling a wooden caravan, water tank and motor.

"This was part of rural life. Everybody gave way to the steam engine. And if it did have to stop its only brake to prevent it rolling would be a big, heavy stone."