Farming in the 18th Century

• Farm Improvements
• Thirled to the Mill
• Working for the Laird
• The New Road
• Witches and Elves

Fir Candles

In the parish of Rothiemay, at the end of the eighteenth century, rosetty fir sticks, dug out of the peat - mosses, were dried and cut up into narrow strips for use as candles. The double-shell iron lamp with oil and rush wick was then rarely to be seen. In one moss in Rothiemay these fir stumps were generally found at a depth of four or five feet, and were discovered by probing with a sharp-pointed iron rod. Cut into blocks they were most valuable firewood, and even afforded sufficient light for the family. From strips of their long roots were prepared ropes for tethers. These ropes were much affected by the weather, becoming loose in drought unless kept moist to prevent what was called the "feasing out." The making of these ropes was a common occupation in the winter evenings in the farm and cottar houses.

Witches and Elves

During the 18th century the belief in and fear of the witches and warlocks of Moray prevailed widely over the north. Balefires were lit on Roode'en in May in the parishes of Rothiemay, Keith, Grange, Cairnie, and Boharm; but in the country lying to the east of these the bale-fires were lighted on Halloween, in November. In the parishes named, though no bale-fires were lighted at Halloween, yet special precautions were taken against the witches and warlocks of Moray by placing rantree (rowan) branches over the house and byre doors. When cattle died suddenly of any disease they were said to be "shot-a-deed by elves with an elf head" or flint arrow head. Dr. Cruickshank relates having seen an intelligent farmer and his friends searching to find the part of the body of the leading plough ox, which had suddenly died, into which the elf-arrow was believed to have passed. The belief in witches is also evidenced by the following circumstance. A party of men bringing home a new millstone by rolling it along the ground by means of a long pole inserted in the hole of the mill stone, to which horses were attached to aid in rolling it, suddenly came upon a few sheep, which frightened the horses, causing them to halt. As the horses refused to proceed, the men decided that it was a case of bewitchment, and that the owner of the sheep must be in some way propitiated. Indeed, it was a work of no ordinary difficulty to transport a millstone from the sandstone quarries of Pennan, in the parish of Gamrie, and certain ceremonies had always to be observed against the evil designs of witches, who were believed to be inclined to interfere with transport.