“Apply to Charities Commission to transfer the following charity moneys to the Aftermath Charity.” This was my first encounter with the word ‘aftermath’ in the Uttoxeter Charities minute book. It seemed pretty clear to me that lots of little charities were being combined into one big one, and that the aftermath of those charities was called the Aftermath Charity.

But later I came across a sale advertisement in the Staffordshire Advertiser, “A piece of Meadowland, situate in the Netherwood… Copyhold of the Manor of Uttoxeter, and the Aftermath from the 8th August to the 24th of December belongs to the Trustees of Uttoxeter Charities.”

It turns out that the ‘math’ part of ‘aftermath’ comes from the Old English noun mæð, ‘a mowing’.  So ‘aftermath’ is grass growing in a meadow after the hay has been mown and removed. The Uttoxeter Charities had the right to that aftermath and it was common practice for charitable landowners to allow the poor to graze their aftermath. 

At some point it looks like the right had been commuted to selling the aftermath to the highest bidder and using the rent for relieve of the poor.  Each August, the Uttoxeter Charities trustees took the highest bids for the six lots of the Netherwood and the Town Meadow aftermath.

The amounts received seem to generally be in the £40-£50 range, as shown in the table below.

Year	Aftermath Rental
1883	£31
1884	£40
1885	£47
1886	£49
1887	£69
1888	£31
1889	£46
1890	£44

Reports of a poor hay harvest in 1887 probably explain the high rent that year. For example, the Derby Mercury reported that “The stacks of hay and corn are both much below an average in bulk.”  High demand increased the price.

What about the dramatic decrease in 1888? Bid rigging? No, it looks as if the weather may be the cause. The Buxton Herald reported, “Bad weather prevails everywhere. We read of snow in London in July.” The harvest reports from the Derbyshire Advertiser show the weather had been good for grass: “Hay abundant”, “early hay spoiled, later a very big crop.” Presumably there was more than the usual rain, making the grass grow, meaning farmers had enough of their own grazing in 1888 and didn’t need to buy extra.

I don’t know about the low price in 1883. The Derbyshire Advertiser reported, “The hay crop was a good average one, and was got in good condition.”  Further investigation required.

I now know what aftermath is, how it was used for the poor, and have an idea about why its price fluctuated.

Sources:

Staffordshire Record Office D1194/2: Uttoxeter Charities Minute Book 1883-1950.

Staffordshire Advertiser, 22nd July 1882.

The Derby Mercury, 19th October 1887.

Buxton Herald, 18th July 1888.

Derbyshire Advertiser, 7th Sept 1888.

Derbyshire Advertiser, 21st Sept 1883.