East Brent Harvest Home 1857-2007       Memoirs of Mrs Rita Thomas    

It is understood that the Harvest Home was originally started to celebrate the end of the harvest as an organised event for all farmers and farm workers in order to stop each farm from having its own party.  Previously these individual parties might have lasted several days with little or no work being done for some time.

It was started by the then Vicar, Archdeacon Dennison and his Churchwarden Mr Higgs, and was held in the field adjoining the vicarage (now Rossholme School).  It took place in a huge marquee, with the plum (Christmas) pudding being prepared and cooked at the vicarage by local ladies.  A funfair and a dance in the evening were also held. The East Brent Harvest Home is the longest running one in the Country with breaks only during the wars and in 2001 because of foot and mouth.  At one time as many as 10 villages in Somerset held Harvest Homes and several are still going strong today.  The Committee decided during the Second World War to loan the government £25 towards the war effort that had been held ‘in hand’ from the previous Harvest Home, this was returned in 1949.

I became involved in 1957 for the centenary year.  This event was held in Browns Ground (the field across from the bus shelter in Old Bristol Road), the other venue had since been sold and had become Rossholme School.  The main organisers  I remember then were Mr Frank Woodward (Farmer) and Mr Dave Emery (Manager of Cheddar Valley Dairies, Rooksbridge).

The marquee came from Yeo Bros of Martock; Starkey Knight and Ford ran the bar; Burtle Silver Band played for the church procession.  The cheese was made at Cheddar Valley Dairies (who also heated the locally made Christmas puddings) until they closed, it is now made by Cricket Mallaby at Nether Stowey.  The large harvest loaf was made by local man Mr Dick Emery at Maisey’s of Berrow and  the meat order was put out to tender to various butchers in the district.  The crockery etc. came from Fletchers of Bristol and Charlie Heal provided the fun fair.

Today we have a group of about 20 people involved in the main planning of the event and about 100 helpers on the actual day.  We start planning at the A.G.M. in January and meet again in March and May and then monthly until September.  After getting permission from Mr Edward Champion and Somerset County Council for the fields we now use, we have to book the marquee, tables, chairs, crockery, etc. plus the fun fair, toilets and band for the procession.  This all needs to be done early to avoid disappointment.  There are many things to sort out like preachers, speakers licences, bar, evening entertainment, hoops and baskets, fancy dress, judges, sports, raffle and the small business of food.  This amounts to  120lbs cheese, 6ft x 2ft harvest loaf, 500lbs of meat (salt beef, roast beef and gammon ham), 80 bowls of salad and 90 Christmas puddings.  The drink order is 40 gallons of cider, 60 gallons of beer, and bottles of lemonade.  We sell 550 luncheon tickets and also feed all the helpers, band members, ambulance staff, etc.

The day starts with a parade to church led by the brass band playing  Onward Christian Soldiers  and a service  where the hymn Come All Ye Faithful People Come by Dean Alford (said to be written especially for our Harvest Home), is sung. During lunch the puddings, cheese and bread are paraded to the marquee by ladies and gents, this is a spectacular sight and causes great excitement.  When the cheese is first cut by the vicar, a slice is thrown to the assembled waiters and the person who catches this is supposed to have a year’s good luck!  At the end of lunch we have speakers and toasts.  Someone proposes the toast to ‘agriculture and industries’ which someone else seconds and then another proposes the toast to ‘visitors and ladies’ and someone responds.  The raffle is drawn and the prizes for the hoops and baskets are presented.

That is the end for many people but we still have tea to prepare and the fancy dress and children’s sports.  The marquee has to be rearranged to house the evening entertainment which means erecting a couple of stages and clearing the marquee of its tables and chairs.

Now after 50 years, East Brent Harvest Home is 150 years old.

Rita Thomas