Haymaking in Cornwall

On the little Cornish farms with their small fields and high hedges

Bedheugh Benytha Kernewek or Remain Forvever Cornish is in Major Arthur Gill’s notes for his film The Spirit of Cornwall. These excerpts capture the joy and pleasure of country life of old through its haymaking scenes with the women working as hard as the men. Gill uses the Cornish saying If e can’t schemy e must louster or if you cannot use your brain you must do labourers’ work and states that one of the farm hands is a lousterer! 

The revival of the Crying the Neck ceremony on Hugh Dunstan’s Church Farm at Towednack shows a tradition that almost died out. It dates back to scything by hand. The last handful of standing corn was lifted to shouts of I have one! What have you? A neck! The long toil of harvesting was at an end and good luck was ensured for future harvests. The sisters of Penventinnie Farm near Kenwyn have taken all the honours possible for butter making at the Royal and agricultural shows of England and churn in the traditional way. At the time real Cornish cream was made by scalding and enjoyed all over in Cornwall before churning on an industrial scale took over. The Royal Cornwall Museum holds the The Major Gill collection.