Shropshire Routes to Roots

David decides to venture out into the blizzard

The Story Continues

David goes out to get the ewe. He locates it with great difficulty and struggles back home with it. He is soaked to the skin, half dead from cold and exhaustion and from carrying a wet ewe though deep snow, but the carcass is safe.

In the morning David is horrified to find that the shepherd is out early on the hill after the blizzard looking for any animals trapped in the overnight snowdrifts. The shepherd discovers that he is one ewe short, he knew he was looking for a lame ewe, and sees the disturbed snow by the ditch and a deep trail of footprints in the snow leading back to David's home.

The shepherd knows what he has to do - report the loss of the sheep and his well founded suspicions to the farmer. This he does and the local police are called.

A typical labourer dressed for poor weather [Shropshire Archive reference: PH/S/14/2] Larger image, in a new window [12kb]

The life of an agricultural labourer in the winter was very harsh. We are very used to warm and waterproof clothing for working outdoors but David Davies and his family would have no such luxuries. They would have to make do with layers of clothing which often included sacking around the neck and shoulders to keep the rain out.

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