Herbing

Herbing began in Sutton Benger in the 19th century and ended in the early 1950s. A herbing business was run by Tom Bray from Bellside. The sheds on the west side of Bellside were used as storage.

The herbs grew in the countryside and people took all day to collect them. Teachers at the school would take the children on nature walks to collect rare herbs. The herbs were sold to make medicines and ointments.

The photographs from the 1920s show people outside the Old School House on Seagry Road after they have been gathering herbs.

For more information about the history of herbing in the village, and other stories of the early 1900s, see 'Life and Herbing in Sutton Benger; Memories of a Wiltshire Village' by Nesta Heath (Octoprint, Chippenham, 1999).