The 17th Century Almanac for June – Midsummer fires & hay making
The 17th Century almanac for June – the beginning of the harvest season, sheep shearing and hay making. It was a time for midsummer bonfires, rush bearing and grass-beef. For all, it was a time of hope and uncertainty. So much depended upon each and every harvest.
But June was also the start of the campaigning season. It is a time to remember battles, Early Modern and 20th Century. Battles fought amongst the sand dunes of Belgium and France.
17th Century Life & Agriculture in June – sheep & hay making
In the 17th Century, June saw the start of the harvest season. It was a time of hope, expectation and uncertainty. June the 2nd was St Elmo’s Day, when sheep were washed and sheared, and shepherds dinned on wafers and cake. The wool was a key cash crop that went to feed cottage looms across England.
In the 17th Century, as today, hay making usually started in late June. Teams of men mowed the long grass on the meadows and field headlands. Women and children, raked and turned it each day until it was dry. Then they carried and stacked this first harvest as animal fodder for the winter.
Ideally, the hay harvest started after the full moon, when the grass was thought to be at its fullest. But then, as now, it was always best to make hay while the sun shone.
Midsummer – St John’s fire, harvest hiring & rush bearing
The 23rd of June was and is St John’s or Midsummer Eve, a time of uncertainty. The night was traditionally marked with bonfires. This ancient ceremony was supressed and lost, across most of Britain, as a result of the English Civil War and Interregnum. However, it still survives in parts of Cornwall today as Golowan.
June the 24th was Midsummer, a quarter day, when labourers queued to be hired for the harvest season, until Michaelmas. Those chosen were given a dinner of fresh grass-beef – the first fresh beef after winter – and peas. It must have been welcome after the long Lenten fast and uncertainty of the mop fair.
Finally, the 29th of June was the feast of St Peter and St Paul. It was the day when parishioners bore fresh cut rushes (or hay) into their church and homes. The rushes lay on the floor as a covering until next rush bearing. Few owned a carpet. Those that did hung them on walls or tables, not on the floor.
Battle of Naseby & the Battle of the Dunes – Dunkirk & D Day
But June was also so often the opening of the campaigning season. It was a time when armies marched. When they destroyed crops and lives. And when they collided in battle.
The 14th of June is the anniversary of both the Battle of Naseby (1645) and the Battle of the Dunes (1658). The latter is often forgotten. However, it saw regiments of the New Model Army in close and bitter combat with Charles II’s royalist army in a huge pan-European battle outside Dunkirk.
Operation DYNAMO saw the extraordinary rescue, from the same beaches, of two of those regiments, 282 years later on the 4th of June 1940. This included 1st and 2nd battalions of the Grenadier Guards and the few survivors of 1stBattalion Royal Scots, following their rear-guard stand “to the last man” at Le Paradis.
On D-Day, 6th of June 1944, the Grenadiers and Royal Scots returned to Europe, landing amongst the first wave on the beaches of Normandy. Finally, this year, the Grenadier Guards will parade to mark the official birthday of King Charles III with Trooping the Colour on the 14th of June.
Flower Moon, Solstice & Galen’s Humours – phlegmatic Cancer
June is the month of Cancer, the crab. Those born under its watery influence were said to have a phlegmatic temperament. According to Galen, their cold and moist humour tended to towards being pale, fleshy, moveable.
For those interested in the moon’s effect on our plants, animals and tides, the new Flower Moon will be full on the 11thof June. Hay making should follow. But, then again, get it might be too early and need a little extra sun. A new Hay Moon will follow, rising on the 25th, just after the Solstice and Midsummer fires.
Follow & Read More of the 17th Century Almanac
Whether you are shearing sheep, making hay, or scattering rushes – have a joyous June. Banish that uncertainty with fire and grass-beef. “Summer is in flower.” As ever, if this post is not the full, sweet-smelling hay crop you wished for, please tell me what is amiss.
I will post more of the 17th Century Almanac, next month. Each article discusses a topic of interest, such as 17th Century Climate Change and conflict, as well as annual activity in Early Modern Britain for that month. If you would like to receive email notification of the next post, click the button to follow.
17th Century History – articles, maps & events
In the meantime, this website includes articles and pages about life in 17th Century Britain, Europe and the Americas at Historical Notes and Maps. These include notes and pages on the impact of the Little Ice Age and The General Crisis of the 17th Century. They include articles on the English Revolution and Great Rebellion. They also include historical notes on the English Revolution and the Great Rebellion, as well as Pike and Shot Warfare and battles of the English Civil War.
You can also find more posts on Early Modern history, Living History and re-enactment at News & Blogs. You may also wish to read about the English Civil War history talks and battlefield walks I give.
Divided Kingdom – English Civil War historical fiction
The 17th Century almanac blog posts provide a backdrop and set the scene for the Divided Kingdom books. This historical fiction series is set in Early Modern Britain during the English Civil War. These posts are part of their backstory.
The Divided Kingdom books take a fresh approach. They are not based on a single hero. They do not take sides. Their voices – ordinary men and women – face each other in the chaos of Britain in civil war. They are both relatable and sharply relevant today. They are also as historically accurate as is possible.
Please do check out some of the writing at Divided Kingdom Books, including book tasters and a FREE ebook short story.
See More – social media & the Divided Kingdom Readers’ Club
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