Eliza and Hannah milks 28 ewes on the Clift

Early summer heralds a busy time on the farm as a letter from Sill reveals.

 Overton Gower

May 21^st 1879

Dear Brother

We are all quite well except Jane.  She has been suffering very much in the tooth-ach.  The weather is very mild and sultry and makes everything look like summer.

We have a very fair prospect of a good crop of apples, and pears, there is plenty of blossom.  The cattle and the 1 yr old colt went to Muzzard last Saturday.  We have not one this year the white face colt we are going to keep and he does a good deal of work and has eaten a good deal of oats the other we are preparing for wool fair the second day of July.  We are thinking to wash the sheep on Saturday.  Eliza and Hannah milks 28 ewes on the Clift and they are to have eight more tomorrow we have 57 lambs and have about half-a-dozen more young ewes to have lambs we only lost one and sold four late thanks to the young draper’s perseverance.

Mother was to Swansea on Saturday and Frank intends to stick at the drapery.  Today the trial is to come off about the Mary Stenhouse George Gibbs and 7 or 8 of Rossily people for and against him went to London yesterday.

We have just had a band playing before the door this evening the second this spring I should think a sign of poor times.

I had a couple of craks with the gun to day, the first since you were home and killed four pigeons.  I have not seen many rabbits on the clift this year.  Hoping this will find you in good health.

I remain,

                   Your affection. Brother

                             Silvanus Bevan

George Bevan sends his kind regards to you and hope you will envite him to your wedding.