Survey of English Dialects recording in Little Bentley, Essex. Survey of English Dialects recording in East Mersea, Essex

[Side 1] Mr Dunton recalls starting work aged 14 as 'stock-boy' [= farm worker helping to look after livestock] at Fordham Hall, describes long hours and gradual increase in wages to £7 before retiring, lists typical jobs as farm worker incl. hoeing, harvesting, stacking and carting, recalls deliveries with Scotch cart 3 times a day to Bentley station, explains how to build stack incl. use of 'stud' [= platform on which stack is built to deter vermin] and how to secure thatch with 'broaches' [= thatching pegs] made from hedge. [Side 2] Arthur reflects on changes in farming, talks about ploughing with horses, explains traditional local method of ploughing in 'stetches' [= strip of ploughed land between two water-furrows] and use of 'water-furrows' [= deep furrow made to remove surface water from ground and improve drainage], mentions recent government-funded pipe drainage scheme, compares farming now and in past incl. reduction in working hours and decline in farm labour, stresses importance of horses to prosperity in past, reflects on decline in farm horses locally.