WHAT'S in a name, or rather what's in a nickname? At one time quite a lot of country folk were better known by nickname for the jobs they did or callings they followed rather than their proper or full names.

Looking back, I can recall a few of them. One in particular that comes to mind was Clocky Danson. Now you may think he had something to do with mending or making clocks, but that was not so, there was a much simpler explanation.

At one time most farms were mixed farms, which meant they kept a little of everything and often grew a variety of crops. All this meant they did not have all their eggs in one basket, so when one section was doing badly, another would perhaps be all right and so, by dint of thrift and hard work, they managed to make a living, come what may.

It is rather interesting that after the war, all the advice seemed to be directed towards farmers becoming more specialised and concentrating on doing one enterprise really well. One has to admit that there was a deal of sense in that and so there were many who decided to specialise in milk production and become really expert at it. Some did the same with poultry and some with crops just concentrating on a few. So you had people who knew their job inside out and not only were they good at it, but they had also invested a lot of money in it. Now most of the specialist poultrymen are gone and we see top flight milk producers having to quit the industry every day.

Now I'm not saying for a moment that people should have stayed as mixed farmers; all I'm saying is it certainly makes you think. I well remember a good farming neighbour of mine telling me his father used to have a saying that went like this: "Stay as you are lads, someone'll catch up in a bit".

Back to Clocky Danson - and I should say some people spelt it Clockie. In the days of mixed farmers the farmer's wife would often set some goose eggs, some duck eggs, some hen's eggs etc to hatch out her own poultry. Many cottagers would do the same and so there was a need for "clock" or broodie hens.

I think I've told you before that, when I started farm work, laying hens were kept free range in wooden poultry cabins usually 24ft x 12 ft. Now clock hens as we called them or clockers were a real nuisance as they occupied the nests so that others could not get in to lay their eggs. They were also responsible for breaking eggs which again was infuriating.

Everyone had their own devices to persuade clockers to stop sitting or brooding unless, of course, they wanted to use them themselves for hatching eggs. The thing you had to do was to make them as uncomfortable as possible in order to dissuade them from sitting. Some people would pop them in a netting cage hung outside the cabin to "give em a taste of the weather". Others would hang them up in a sack or whatever would serve. A few days was usually enough to alter their thinking.

So this is where Clocky came in. He always seemed to know where to obtain a clocker or two. Whenever someone let him know what they wanted he would do a deal for the clock hens that people were often keen to be rid of, sell them on for an extra shilling or two and everyone was happy. He would always say "If any of em let you down, get word to me and I'll swap em".

Clocky Danson was 89 when he died during winter, but in the previous spring he was still seeing to his customers in three parishes.

Dialect word: Petty meaning earth closet.

Thought for the day: Don't let the future scare you. It's just as shaky as you are.

June 5, 2003 15:00