The Local Weather Man

Farmer George Hatch (Weather Man)

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This photograph is over a 100 years old of my grandfather George Hatch who was farming Oveys Farm in the village until his death in 1915. Many visitors to the village who came down to the village at the weekends from London by train, would stop at the farm for a local weather forecast from Farmer Hatch. Also what they could excpect in what the fishing would be like. Farmers in those days were all keen observers of the tell tale signs in the sky. Also watching swallows and where they were flying. For instance swallows flying low was a sign of pending wet weather, and the swallows flying high was a sign of fine dry weather. Of course it was the insects who were the true weather watchers. There are of course many other signs that they used judge the weather.