History

On Exmoor and the Quantock Hills during the 18th and 19th centuries, as soon as the ‘worts’, as they were commonly called, were ripe, whole families would go out to pick them. Schools would have to be closed early for summer holidays as the children would start to stay away in order to go wort picking. It was usually mothers and children who went, although fathers might go on Saturdays or on fine evenings.

It was very necessary for poorer people to go wort picking in order to supplement their income. Sometimes in a season a family would earn enough to buy, perhaps, new raincoats or new boots or shoes. One friend went all through the summer holiday and earned enough to buy a bicycle.

After picking, the worts would be taken to a dealer who would measure them in a quart jug, and there would be a cloth laid on the ground, another person would have a tray and quickly shake it up and down, thus causing a draught, the jug would be tilted and the worts drop to the ground, whilst any leaves or bits of stick would be blown away. The dealers would prefer people who were known as clean pickers, who didn’t get too many leaves in their baskets and who kept the bloom on the fruit.

By courtesy of Dennis Corner OBE.