The eldest son, Wilson, ended up as Vice Principal of the grammar school I attended back in the 80s / 90s. Physics did end up as his subject speciality. Didn't retain the hair as well as his father!
1957: Running a FAMILY FARM | Family Farm | World of Work | BBC Archive 26/1/25 0904am -where ye goin' for xmas, jock!? - albi stayiner - who? -albi stayiner - don't know him.... - ............................................ (roughly translated: i will be staying here!)
Had to turn on CC to understand some of the language; @ 19:23 the word [Applause] comes up, in reality its a few ducks quacking off camera, as the delivery of a tractor makes it off the lorry and on to solid earth, none worse for the wear; always feel fortunate to meet sweet souls from the past, well done by those who filmed and produced this back in 1957, thanks BBC Archive.
This is so much like my mother's diary farm in Ireland. They had a half acre potato and vegetable patch. Two churns roughly equals the milk from 12 cows.
I was captivated by this little film. It seemed to be a good year on the farm. Can't help but think how hard farming life was in a bad year though and how different it might have been for the younger son if he did carry the farm on from his parents. Storm Eowyn was weather that area could have done without that's for sure.
1957: Running a FAMILY FARM | Family Farm | World of Work | BBC Archive 26.1.25 0908am switch to 40 years later...all that's left is a sodden and waterlogged field with a housing estate plonked upon it. happily, though, the homes are liable to damp, cold and there's an old mine shaft draft rattling beneath them. subsidence is on the way... and the stress levels of the office staff who came to live a life of ease is high in commuter belt country. good luck.
1957: Running a FAMILY FARM | Family Farm | World of Work | BBC Archive 0926am 26.1.25 might have had sod all to eat. tough men are a nostalgic piece of whimsy is hardly the case...
Mass-produced highly processed food wasn't something we had at that point. Nor TV and computer in every house. Noone was fat in ordinary life, there wasn't the leisure time for most to sit about all day either. Too much to do.
Poorer men had less to eat. Could talk coal mining as an example but even then, alcohol would've made people fat. It's clear it boils down to finances over lifestyle choices.
@scrittle Comments on ‘1957: Running a FAMILY FARM | Family Farm | World of Work | BBC Archive’ 26.1.25 1836pm coalminers were better paid than most. cotton industry had the gripes cos they saw their industry being sold out. not help from miners y;see, when they had to strike....then... well the rest is history...
If you look back at history, when communist regimes have taken away family farms through taxation etc it has led to food shortages. I'm thinking particularly of Russia, China, and Cambodia.
It's fascinating to look back on stories like the Forsythe family's life on their Ballynure farm, but we need to stop romanticizing the 'good old days.' Farming in the UK has come a long way since then, and while these old videos might bring back warm memories for some, they conveniently ignore the harsh realities of that era. Diseases like smallpox, tuberculosis, and polio were rampant, and lifespans were much shorter due to a lack of understanding about medicine, antibiotics, or even basic hygiene. The so-called 'simple life' often meant backbreaking labor, high child mortality, and widespread poverty. Today, advancements in technology and medicine have revolutionized farming and society. Precision agriculture has improved yields while reducing environmental harm, and modern medicine has eradicated or controlled diseases that once devastated families. Yet, some people cling to these overly sentimental portrayals of the past, ignoring how much progress has improved our lives and how much work is still needed to ensure a sustainable future for everyone. Let's stop glamorizing an era that was far from idyllic and focus on continuing the progress that has brought us longer lives, better health, and fairer opportunities.
Problem is the pendulum swings too far to the other side. Keeping in control of modern technology rather than being slaves to it is the secret to success. Modern contractors are finding they have to run harder just to keep going.
@@ontheisland11 Sure, it's 1957, not 1857, but let's not gloss over the fact that even in the 1950s, polio was still a major threat, along with tuberculosis, diphtheria, and countless other illnesses that modern medicine has since conquered. Antibiotics were only becoming widely available, and vaccines were still in their early stages for many diseases. Life expectancy was significantly lower, and farming life, while romanticized, often meant grueling work and limited access to healthcare or education. A lot of the progress we enjoy today-both in health and technology-came from refusing to settle for the limitations of the past. Let's celebrate the advancements we've made rather than idealizing an era that was far from perfect.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
The eldest son, Wilson, ended up as Vice Principal of the grammar school I attended back in the 80s / 90s. Physics did end up as his subject speciality. Didn't retain the hair as well as his father!
Fascinating
I love that everyone wears a jacket, shirt, and tie while working in the fields.
Hiralious
Love these old videos
1957: Running a FAMILY FARM | Family Farm | World of Work | BBC Archive 26/1/25 0904am
-where ye goin' for xmas, jock!?
- albi stayiner
- who?
-albi stayiner
- don't know him....
- ............................................
(roughly translated: i will be staying here!)
Quite possibly my favourite ever RUclips video.
Wonderful on so many levels.
Had to turn on CC to understand some of the language; @ 19:23 the word [Applause] comes up, in reality its a few ducks quacking off camera, as the delivery of a tractor makes it off the lorry and on to solid earth, none worse for the wear; always feel fortunate to meet sweet souls from the past, well done by those who filmed and produced this back in 1957, thanks BBC Archive.
Splendid little film of the perfect farming family. I would bet they all lived long and healthy/happy lives.
What an amazing family! This is how small farms should be like, even today. I am sure we can learn something from this.
Congratulations 🎉 you have just won the most ridiculous comment of the month for January
@@BillyBones4365if they paid 3 times more for there food the could have small farms
@@richardwood1846 I’ve no idea what you’re on about
Yes, it's no longer economical to live off 30 acres, even 250 acres or more.
This is so much like my mother's diary farm in Ireland. They had a half acre potato and vegetable patch. Two churns roughly equals the milk from 12 cows.
Lovely and wholesome life ❤
I really enjoyed this!❤ THANK YOU!❤
Lovely video
That little girl would now be about 70 years old.
Age shows no mercy.
Great upload as always
I was captivated by this little film. It seemed to be a good year on the farm. Can't help but think how hard farming life was in a bad year though and how different it might have been for the younger son if he did carry the farm on from his parents. Storm Eowyn was weather that area could have done without that's for sure.
5:16 Invested in machines that save him time... to get more work done. That's the spirit!
Joyce passed in 2010,at the age of 97. R.I.P. folks.
❤❤❤❤
Would have been hard work in the '50s with the UK importing nearly everything grown and raised in NZ.
1957: Running a FAMILY FARM | Family Farm | World of Work | BBC Archive 26.1.25 0908am switch to 40 years later...all that's left is a sodden and waterlogged field with a housing estate plonked upon it. happily, though, the homes are liable to damp, cold and there's an old mine shaft draft rattling beneath them. subsidence is on the way... and the stress levels of the office staff who came to live a life of ease is high in commuter belt country. good luck.
Tractor would be £3k and they’re that today ,
Those men man handling those poles up
And don’t tell the building inspector he’s no pat tested 🤣🤣
A tough back breaking job for tough men. Not one bloke is over weight. Talk about keeping fit without going to the gym 😊
1957: Running a FAMILY FARM | Family Farm | World of Work | BBC Archive 0926am 26.1.25 might have had sod all to eat. tough men are a nostalgic piece of whimsy is hardly the case...
Mass-produced highly processed food wasn't something we had at that point. Nor TV and computer in every house. Noone was fat in ordinary life, there wasn't the leisure time for most to sit about all day either. Too much to do.
Poorer men had less to eat. Could talk coal mining as an example but even then, alcohol would've made people fat. It's clear it boils down to finances over lifestyle choices.
@scrittle Comments on ‘1957: Running a FAMILY FARM | Family Farm | World of Work | BBC Archive’ 26.1.25 1836pm coalminers were better paid than most. cotton industry had the gripes cos they saw their industry being sold out. not help from miners y;see, when they had to strike....then... well the rest is history...
Where are the migrant workers...🤔
If you look back at history, when communist regimes have taken away family farms through taxation etc it has led to food shortages. I'm thinking particularly of Russia, China, and Cambodia.
Family farms didn't exist in Russia until the revolution. They were feudal estates of the nobility.
It's fascinating to look back on stories like the Forsythe family's life on their Ballynure farm, but we need to stop romanticizing the 'good old days.' Farming in the UK has come a long way since then, and while these old videos might bring back warm memories for some, they conveniently ignore the harsh realities of that era. Diseases like smallpox, tuberculosis, and polio were rampant, and lifespans were much shorter due to a lack of understanding about medicine, antibiotics, or even basic hygiene. The so-called 'simple life' often meant backbreaking labor, high child mortality, and widespread poverty. Today, advancements in technology and medicine have revolutionized farming and society. Precision agriculture has improved yields while reducing environmental harm, and modern medicine has eradicated or controlled diseases that once devastated families. Yet, some people cling to these overly sentimental portrayals of the past, ignoring how much progress has improved our lives and how much work is still needed to ensure a sustainable future for everyone. Let's stop glamorizing an era that was far from idyllic and focus on continuing the progress that has brought us longer lives, better health, and fairer opportunities.
Something often missing from this channel are messages like these. Most of the time, we're better off in the modern era than in the past.
Problem is the pendulum swings too far to the other side. Keeping in control of modern technology rather than being slaves to it is the secret to success.
Modern contractors are finding they have to run harder just to keep going.
Typical - ruining my cosy nostalgia trip with things like "facts" and "evidence"...go back to Russia if you like it so much etc.etc.
Problems with polio aside - this is 1957 not 1857.
@@ontheisland11 Sure, it's 1957, not 1857, but let's not gloss over the fact that even in the 1950s, polio was still a major threat, along with tuberculosis, diphtheria, and countless other illnesses that modern medicine has since conquered. Antibiotics were only becoming widely available, and vaccines were still in their early stages for many diseases. Life expectancy was significantly lower, and farming life, while romanticized, often meant grueling work and limited access to healthcare or education. A lot of the progress we enjoy today-both in health and technology-came from refusing to settle for the limitations of the past. Let's celebrate the advancements we've made rather than idealizing an era that was far from perfect.
Planters , they came and stole the farm