Old Houses
Chimneys were built of wood and they were plastered with clay. The fire-place was sometimes at the gable-wall and it was often by a wall in the middle of the house. There was always a great fire which consisted of bog deal and turf. The only light they had at night was the light of bog deal.
The roofs were covered with scraws and thatched with sedge which was procured in the mire. Some of the houses were covered with flags.
A settle-bed was placed by the back wall. It was taken asunder every morning and laid down every night.
The floor was made of yellow-clay, horse-manure and lime well trampled on. Others were made of flags and mortar.
In some houses there was no glass in the windows and there was a wooden shutter to keep out the cold. Sometimes there was a bag of straw in the window.
Half-doors were very fashionable at that time. In some places there were no outhouses. The cows were kept in one end of the house and the family slept in the other while the cock and the hens perched over the door.