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People

Name
Moon, J Harold
Introduction
Albert Day and the Day family owned an iron foundry, which operated from about 1869 until 1950, in Mark, a village on the edge of the Somerset Levels.  They made agricultural implements including apple and cheese presses as well as putts, carts, wagons and wrought iron gates.  The foundry also did casting work for the family firm of wagon makers, Wensley’s of Mark.
A portable cider press made by Albert Day of Mark.  Presses like these were often lent to neighbours in return for a share in the cider produced.  Cider-making was a collective enterprise, in terms of both production and consumption. A portable cider press made by Albert Day of Mark. Presses like these were often lent to neighbours in return for a share in the cider produced. Cider-making was a collective enterprise, in terms of both production and consumption.
Sound File
Listen to J Harold Moon - 1.59MB Duration 3:27 min.
Transcript

PL: Was the cider section of the business, do you think, rather a small enterprise or, you know, was it quite a large part?

 

JM: Well, I should say it was a general mixture with cheese presses and when the same they used to make the harrows, you know, chain harrows.  The different type of thing what horses used to pull for harrowing the ground, quite different to the modern structures.  But they were all cast iron.  Well then they used to make the old-fashioned tethers.  There is still some of those about, you know.  When you get about you see them lying about.

 

That was a thing that worked off cogs, big cogs that were a steady to the wheels, the two wheels and then they had like rotors go round with iron spikes in that picked up the hay, see, and scattered. Dangerous things they used to be, no guards, there were never no guards on them, see, in those days.

 

Tethers, hay tethers they used to call them, used to have about five, six rows going across and fitted with these iron spikes about this long, about nine inches long.  Of course when horse was pulling them, they used to revolve at a pretty high rate because the big cog wheel that were fitted, the wheel had quite a big circular thing and that was driving the smaller cog wheel.  Used to go round at a good old pace, well it had to, toss it up, used to toss it yards behind.

 

PL: What about the presses?  Did they make the screws for the presses themselves or were they bought in?

 

JM: Yes, yes, they had their own screw-cutting apparatus and that.

 

PL: Did they make them different sizes or all the same size?

 

JM: They made single presses and double presses but the motif on the top, the milking scene, was a horse and cart and dog and two cows under the tree, one lay down and one stood up. That was on the single presses as well as the double press.

 

PL: That’s the cheese presses, isn’t it, yes?

 

JM: Yes, yes.

 

PL: I was wondering about the cider presses, whether they made the screws for those as well, the huge screws for the cider presses?

 

JM: Yes, I expect they made a lot of those in their time, no doubt about it.

 

PL: Have you ever come across a cider press that had the Day name on it?

 

JM: No, I never have, never.  It would be difficult to know where to put it on a cider press actually because there was so much woodwork.  There was the two big things, the bed what they used to call the summer, and there was the big one that come down, that was called the winter.  Summer and winter they used to call them...

 

PL: Oh yes.

 

JM: ...Those two colossal things.

 

PL: Is it that way round because...?

 

JM: Well could be the other way round.  I can’t remember.  It could be the other way round.

 

PL: Right.  Yes, they’re lovely names for them, aren’t they?

 

JM: Yes.  I don’t know why they called them that.

 

PL: Did you ever make cider yourself?

 

JM: Yes, yes.  We got this old single screw press out there now in the house.

 

PL: Gosh, I’d like to have a look later, if that would be all right?

 

JM: Yes.

 

PL: And you made it on that, did you?

 

JM: Yes.

Copyright Information
Copyright. This recording was made by Philippa Legg in July 1983. Photograph ©SMES. For access to full interview please contact the Somerset Heritage Centre.