South Yorkshire Times May 1, 1948
Plough Went For 2s 6d!
Conisbro’ Farm Stock Goes Under the Hammer
The bell rang and rang and rang. The jodhpur’d shining Brown booted and leggings auctioneer stored by the huge Dutch Barn. The young Clark, sale booking and, followed, and an expectant crowd of farmers, farmhands, dealers, and idle spectators, a few women and less children gathered by. The sale of live and dead farming stock at Firsby farm, Conisbrough, yesterday had begun
Place For Bargains.
“This is one of the last farm sales on the season,” explained the auctioneer, Mr. G. Iohnston, of the Doncaster and Rotherham firm of Shearman and Johnston, “and there is no place like a farm sale for picking up a bargain.”
He was right. There were the lots of form implements that went-for a shilling, and a wood arm plough that went for half-a-crown (2s 6d or 12 ½ p)
“Who’ll give me a bid?” The auctioneer intoned. Buyers were reticent, but, with a twinkle in his eye, Mr Beaumont of Thorpe Hesley, chanced his 30 pence.
“Half a crown I’m bid,” cried the auctioneer; and that was all he was bid. Down to Mr Boorman the plough was not. Mr Ballmer shrugged his shoulders, and said: “I didn’t want it. Well I’ll go to my tea! I don’t half help you out of trouble.”
The lots of agricultural implements and tractors and machinery were laid out in rows on the firm, short turf of the high field besides the outbuildings, and before the sale began, prospective buyers had examined their favoured lots with care, and there had been much picking up and putting down of the light articles, and enough controls and more poking with those walking sticks which were always seem to be such an essential part of the ordinary stock in trade of the farmer.
The first lot, some stout wooden beams, was quickly snapped up for 30 shillings by Mexborough buyer, Mr Adams, and there were other purchases for five shillings and more obviously destined for the scrap iron dealers yard.
Suddenly there was a more frenzied clanging of the bell. We had reached a handsome farm cart. This was a highlight of the offerings, and for £50 it was sold to a Thrybergh purchaser.
Sheep nets, metal rollers, potato spinners, cultivators, a corn bin, a tongue bill and a set of chain harrows… We left them all behind. A 500 gallon water tank went for 14 shillings.
We reach the 1943 tractor. Mr Johnson was persuasive, the company was coy. An optimist offered £10. The bid was refused and a start was made at £20. Yorkshire confessed that he had never seen a worse price for a tractor in good running order at a farm sale this season. The bidding was brisk and at £51 the machine went to purchaser from Maltby.
At last all the dead stock was so, and fresh faces were seen round the pens, erected alongside the Orchard wall where the 243 sheep all first class, stood patiently waiting their new owners. There was more ringing of the bell and one or two buyers climbed over the wire fencing to seize the ewes by the head and examine the animal’s teeth.
The farm foreman push forward his charges and supplemented the auctioneer description by personal recommendations. Rams went for as high as £9 5s each, ewes up to £7 17s each, hogs for £5 16s and a few lambs for 9s and 12s each.
The selling over the purchases were marked with blue dye and as the purchases move over for the sale of the horses, huge cattle removing lorries moved in to take their places.
The Foreman’s Daughter
A Hunter gelding went for 26 ½ guineas, the Bay Mare “Darkie” for 28 guineas and “Flower” another Bay Mare for 37 ½ guineas.
The former’s little daughter watch the little grey pony “Tiny” she had written with such joy so for 15 ½ guineas, and then ran home to think of the happy times past.
The disposal of 15 pigs, amongst them a pedigree large white boar, completed the sale, and the varied company of spectators and buyers from Denaby, Mexborough, Ravensfield, Thrybergh, Maltby, Thurnscoe, Great Houghton, Doncaster, Sprotbrough, Tickhill and elsewhere slowly dispersed.
Mingling among the smart, utilitarian clad farmers, could be seen more than a few khaki overcoats and ex-service trousers, and even a Military Police corporal, with belt and stripes in dazzling blancoed white.
The start was the property of Messrs Ogley brothers, sons of Mr Frank Ogley, J.P., Hill Top Conisbrough, who told me that he had disposed of to Mr RE Rowbotham, Carlton (Worksop) the 200 acre Firsby farming purchase from the government seven or eight years ago. Mr Longbottom with taking over at once, was that the sale and bought a number of lots.
Mr Ogley and his son Mr Geoffrey Ogley, will of course continue to farm their adjoining 200 acres.