Threshing
Threshing, the process of separating the grain from the straw, was carried on in the kitchen in olden times, if any other suitable place were not available.
All furniture was removed. No fire was allowed in the kitchen while threshing was in progress and a sheet or quiet was usually hung over the fireplace to prevent a draught.
Implemnts, called "flails" were used by the threshers to do the thresing. These were homemade and consisting of two very strong sticks, one four feet long and the other three feet, tied together by a stout card known as a "tug".