Farming Forebears: ‘My mum is a wonderful lady’

Thanks to everyone who’s been sending us photos of their ‘farming forebears’.

The response has been great after we asked to see snapshots of your relatives – both those who are still around and those who are no longer with us.

This lovely photo came from Heather Ross, who says: “My amazing mum, Janet Bagley, was recently 80 and is an avid reader of Farmers Weekly.

Janet Bagley

“Mum was a farmer’s daughter, born and bred, and lived and helped at the family farm in Meriden, Warwickshire. She even ran the farm when her dad died suddenly.” 

See also: Farming Forebears – Fred Moralee and Bob Forster

“She married my dad, Bob, who is a farm contractor and worked with him in Fillongley, while bringing up six daughters (three of whom came at once as triplets).”

Heather adds: “Dad still does his bit contracting, as does my mum, who is still sorting all of the phone calls while coping with the excess of grandchildren all of these daughters have produced!

“This is a lovely photo of mum in her younger years, working on a little grey Fergie. It would be so special for her to see it printed in Farmers Weekly.

“My mum is a wonderful lady who has worked so hard in farming all of her life and I would love to surprise her with this.”

Tell us about your forebears

We’d like to see photos of your farming forebears – and they could end up gracing the pages of Farmers Weekly.

It might be a close relative (a parent or aunty, for example) or someone slightly more distant and going back further in time (a grandparent or great-grandparent, for example).

All we need is a photo and a line or two (feel free to write more if you’d like to) about whoever is in the picture.

We’d be fascinated to hear who they are/were, what they are/were like, along with what they mean to you or how you remember them.

You could take a photo of the person if you’re in contact with them or, if it’s someone from further back in time, you could flick through the family album and send us an old image of them.