The 17th Century Almanac for September
The 17th Century Almanac for September is an article by author Charles Cordell on Early Modern life, the Newfoundland cod trade, Barbary corsairs and Ship Money.
In the 17th Century, for most, September was the month of Harvest Home and the end of the farming year. It was also a time to haul in the catch of cod, herring and pilchards, salted for the winter ahead.
But, in the 1600s, pirates increasingly preyed upon fishing fleets. They devastated coastal communities, seizing and enslaving thousands. The King’s navy needed Ship Money.
“The Sailors fall to work to get afore the wind, and if they spy a storm, it puts them to prayer:
The Soldier now begins to shrug at the weather, and the Camp dissolved, the Companies are put to Garrison:
The Lawyer now begins his Harvest, and the Client pays for words by weight.”
Nicholas Breton, FANTASTICKS, London 1626
17th Century Life and Farm Labour in September – Harvest Home
The 17th Century it took longer to gather in the harvest than today. Reaping by hand took time. First the barley, then wheat. Harvest Home did not normally come until well into September. The last load of grain was carted into the barns, decked out with branches and celebration.
In Worcestershire, at least, one sheaf of unthreshed grain was hung in the barn rafters until the next harvest was in. All those who had laboured in the fields would be treated to ‘horkey’, ‘hawkey’ or ‘kern’ – a harvest supper of goose, plumb pudding, strong beer, gifts, singing and dancing.
Peas & Beans – gleaning stubble, pigs, bees, old cows & crones
However, the work did not stop. As today, harvesting the peas, beans and vetches came after the grain crop. Children, the old and poor now worked to glean the fields, picking up what they could of the dropped grain and beans. Next came the turn of the horses, cattle, pigs, piglets and geese to root and graze the stubble – known as ‘Shake Time’ – until Michaelmas.
After the first frost, boys herded pigs into the woods to fatten on acorns and beach nuts. Old cows and crones (old ewes) were also fattened up for slaughter (in early November). It was a time to geld bull calves and tup rams, and shut boars in their sty to stop them roaming after the sows. Farmers wives collected honey and wax, smoked bees and protected hives for winter. They gathered hops and picked fruit. Men cut, split and stacked timber for winter fires and for building.
Threshing, Seed Corn & Chaff – hawking & hunting
Before the end of the month, about half of the grain crop had to be threshed, winnowed, sieved and sacked, sold off, cashed in to pay rents, dues and tithes. Girls and boys worked alongside the men in the barns, picking out seed corn for the next year. They stored chaff and straw for fodder. And they gathered ferns, or ‘brakes’, as winter bedding for store cattle.
By late September, swallows, martins, gannets, terns and shearwaters begin to leave on their long migrations. Wild geese, swans and ducks start to arrive and starlings gather. Owls hunt the stubble at night, while hares run on it by day. Those who could afford to in the 17th Century went hawking or hunting.
Cod, Corsairs & Ship Money – Atlantic trade, piracy & slaves
With September’s moon came the first shoals of pilchards off the Cornish coast, liquid silver in the moonlight, a harvest of another sort. We often forget how important fishing was as an industry in the 17th Century. It supported huge numbers of people in coastal communities. It also provided vital winter protein for the growing inland towns and cities, as well as valuable revenue for the exchequer.
Newfoundland Cod & Merino Wool – Atlantic triangular trade
Each September the English cod fleet left the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. This was a major industry, involving over 300 barques and some 4-5,00 seamen. From May until September, they fished, gutted, salted, dried and packed cod. They shipped the dried white fish back across the Atlantic to Spanish and Portuguese ports such as Bilbao and Porto. It was sold as bacalao.
The fleet then shipped Spanish Merino wool (to feed England’s looms), wine, iron and timber home to West Country ports. Bringing in valuable revenue and excise duty, this was the first Atlantic triangular trade. The fleet set sail again for Newfoundland in February and March.
However, by the mid 1630s, ever increasing numbers of ships and seamen were lost as they approached home waters. Barbary Corsairs seized them. In 1635, these pirates seized some 87 ships, 1,160 seamen and £96,700 of cargo.
Barbary Pirates & Dunkirker frigates – need for Ship Money
The Barbary Corsairs were not afraid to raid ashore to take slaves. They came ashore at places like Marazion, Penryn and Looe. In 1636 alone (a plague year), these pirates seized over 1,000 Cornish men, women and children, shipping them to North Africa to be sold in the slave markets of Salé and Algiers.
In the North Sea and Channel, ‘Dunkirker’ frigates preyed upon English fishing boats and coastal shipping. These were Flemish privateers in the employ of Spain, operating out of Nieuwpoort, Ostend and Dunkirk. Those who were unable to pay a ransom were consigned to row Spain’s infamous galleys.
These attacks prompted Charles I to extend the Ship Money tax to all counties in England. The intention was that all should contribute to financing the navy – not just the coastal counties. It was a Cornish MP, William Noy, who first proposed the change in 1634. None would question this idea today.
September – Venus, Harvest Moon & Galen’s sanguine Libra – the scales
September is the month of Libra, the scales. Those born under its airy influence were said to have sanguine temperament. According to Galen, their hot and moist humour tended to be upright, ruddy, dark, strong and active, with a wanton (lusty) look and clear understanding. For Libra is ruled by Venus.
Bright Venus – fickle goddess – planet of love & harvest
Bright Venus, the planet of love, beauty and pleasure was often associated with fertility and the harvest. She was the bringer of affection, harmony and merrymaking. Venus was the second ‘benefic’ after Jupiter, a star of good fortune. In Libra, she emphasised diplomacy, harmony, luxury and art.
But the brightest of stars had a darker side. Her cold and moist, feminine light could bring on vanity and excess. She can move a man to heated passion, push him to the point of foolishness. For Venus is a fickle, complex goddess. And the morning star, the light giver, is also associated with Lucifer.
Galen’s Sanguine Temperament – hot & wet blood humour
17th Century medicine classified people according to Galen’s four ancient temperaments. Those of a Sanguine temperament were said to be merry, hopeful and good-natured. They were bold and courageous, extravert, lovers of music, recreation and good company.
But the sanguine temperament had its vices too. An excess of hot and wet blood from the heart could lead to impulsive behaviour, self-indulgence, pleasure seeking. It could result in greed, gluttony and lust. Perhaps the greatest example of this was the libertine Restoration rake John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, son of the Cavalier hero Lord Henry Wilmot.
Mighty Jupiter bestowed the Sanguine temperament with an air of nobility, generosity and sense of justice. But Venus gave them sociability, appreciation of art and a desire for pleasure. Venus’s moist influence could cause an excess of blood. If not purged, it could cause putrefaction of the blood, kidney stones or the ‘pissing evil’ diabetes.
September 2026 – Harvest Moon, occult Venus & rising of Libra
This month, Venus will be at its brightest early in the month, in the western sky, just after sunset. Mars will be visible to the east, after midnight, along with a fine display of the Milky Way. It will be joined by Jupiter and Saturn at the end of the month.
This year a new moon will rise on 11 September to be full on 26 September 2026. This will be the Harvest Moon, the closest full moon to the Autumn Equinox. Astronomers tell us that the new crescent moon will occult Venus on 14 September. The morning star should reappear over UK at about 11:30.
Astrologers tell us that this will be month to step back and recalibrate. The rising of Libra will be a time for diplomacy and balance, before setting boundaries at the end of the month.
Autumn Equinox – high tides, gales of wind & dark winter
The Autumn Equinox is a time of equal day and night, the day when the sun re-crosses the equator. It is the moment when the sun rises from due East and sets due West. From this day until the Vernal Equinox in March, the northern hemisphere will live more in dark than day.
The Equinox is a time often associated with bad weather, gales and breaking storms. This year, the Autumn Equinox will occur on 22 September. Any gales of wind are likely to come on top of the new Harvest Moon’s spring (high) tide.
Farming and fishing have always been driven by the seasons. In the 17th Century, they were also dictated by the state of the moon. It drove the rhythm of planting and reaping, as well as the tides.
Perhaps the Autumn Equinox is a good time to remind ourselves of the moon’s power. It is worth pausing to consider the sheer weight and volume of seawater lifted and shifted by its draw, twice a day, every day.
Michaelmas – herring, old crones & Lucifer’s blackberries
September the 29th was and is Michaelmas. It was an English quarter day, the start and end of the farming year. New contracts were let, yearly rents, dues and tithes paid. Labourers were paid and laid off after the harvest. Gleaning ended for the poor. Those who could feasted on fresh herring and fattened crones.
All venerated St Michael, or the Archangel Michael, as the Angel of the Lord, the supreme commander of the Heavenly Host, the protector of the church and faithful, the patron saint of soldiers and of fishermen. It was St Michael who cast from Heaven the angel Lucifer – the fallen angel, the morning star, Venus, the King of Babylon, Satan himself.
If you are partial to eating blackberries from the hedges, remember that they should never be picked after Michaelmas. When St Michael cast Lucifer from Heaven, the Devil landed on earth in a bramble bush. Every Michaelmas since, he spits on the blackberries in his spite and spoils the crop.
Follow & Read More of the 17th Century Almanac
Whether you are carting Harvest Home, hauling in your catch or munching blackberries, I wish you fruitful calm and freedom from piracy. As ever, if this post is not the full and plentiful store barn you hoped for, please tell me what is missing.
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.
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17th Century History – articles, maps & events
In the meantime, this website includes more posts and articles 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 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. If you would like to meet, why not check out the calendar at Charles Cordell Events.
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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.
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