The old ways

[Wild wandering woodsman]

I have been trying for ages to find information on the ways of the Old Woodsman, cant find much and wondered if anyone knows where I may be able to find the info I'm looking for? I have a couple of books by John seymour that describes the old crafts and self sufficiency, read the likes of George Washington Sears, John Muir and a few others. But what im trying to find is not like a survival manual,or the likes, but to find out how a woodsman actually used to live and thrive. The old wisdom and ways, a diary with how to's if you like.
Maybe im looking in all the wrong places, or maybe it just doesn't exist? Just love the idea of the old ways when they carried less kit and more knowledge.
Any ideas?
Best wishes
Jon


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[Janne]

This forum has people that know these things.

 

[crosslandkelly]

http://www.amazon.com/Journal-Mountain-Man-Classics-Trade/dp/1886609098

http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/interpreting-woodsman.html

This guy has a series of videos, on his take on the life.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139906

 

[mrcharly]

The old woodsman in which country?

The nearest the UK has had to that for a very long time is the Wold's Rangers and there is very little written about them. They were roaming workers who lived outside in the Yorkshire Wolds, working on farms part of the year. Very little known of them, although there was a book written about them. My wife was brought up in that area and met some of them when they were quite elderly. Seems they date back to Napoleonic war times.

Australia had its swagmen, who walked trails following seasonal work. The trails were dictated mostly by the availability of water as much as work.

 

[boatman]

Not heard of the Wold's Rangers and would like to learn more. There were a lot of outdoor workers and livers in the UK. Apart from Romany and Tinkers there were the Bodgers in the woods of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, charcoal burners, seasonal farm workers and others. Lots of eccentrics and Showell Styles even mentioned a scout who lived in a tent all year round but had a regular job.

 

[mrcharly]

Almost nothing online about them. My wife knew of them - they lived on the road, there was a tradition that they'd knock on the door and you'd fill up their flask with hot water for their tea, maybe a bit of sugar. She tells the tale that when she was 19 and living in one of the farm worker's cottages there was a knock, she answered and an old man in raggedy tweeds was there, startled to see her. She'd not long moved in, he obviously expected someone else. He was reticent apologetic for bothering her, obviously expected her to react badly. She knew immediately that he'd be one of the Rangers and what was expected, so filled up his billy, gave him some bread and sugar.
From the info on this web page that must have been Dog Geordie
http://www.beggars-bridge.co.uk/the-last-of-the-wold-rangers/

 

[ceryni]

Almost nothing online about them. My wife knew of them - they lived on the road, there was a tradition that they'd knock on the door and you'd fill up their flask with hot water for their tea, maybe a bit of sugar. She tells the tale that when she was 19 and living in one of the farm worker's cottages there was a knock, she answered and an old man in raggedy tweeds was there, startled to see her. She'd not long moved in, he obviously expected someone else. He was reticent apologetic for bothering her, obviously expected her to react badly. She knew immediately that he'd be one of the Rangers and what was expected, so filled up his billy, gave him some bread and sugar.
From the info on this web page that must have been Dog Geordie
http://www.beggars-bridge.co.uk/the-last-of-the-wold-rangers/

I tried to like your post but it wouldn't let me. This is probably one of my favourite stories on the forum.

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