2012/441

This ear punch forms part of a collection of objects donated to MERL by Mrs Jayne Traill. It was used by the donor's grandfather, Joseph Bevan, to earmark livestock. Mrs Traill never saw the ear punch being used and suggests that her grandfather possibly used it before circa 1960. Mr Bevan farmed at Miltons Farm on the Ascot Place Estate from 1967 to 1985 or 1986. He started farming around the 1940s or 1950s, and even after he retired from the farm he kept a small flock of sheep until 2001 when he died. He was a stockbreeder, keeping cattle and sheep, and occasionally grew crops.

1 ear punch: metal; good condition.

List with photographs of the objects in this collection offered for donation to MERL that have been accepted., Set of images of associated docs and information (located in folder L:\MERL\Objects\Associated docs and photos relating to Joseph Bevan loaned by Jayne Traill Entry Form 406)., MERL Miscellaneous note - Associated information - The objects all belonged to the donor's grandfather, Joseph Bevan, who ran the farm at Ascot Place Estate. The farm was called Miltons Farm. Joseph Bevan, a cousin of Aneurin Bevan, was born in the 1920s and was originally from near Abergavenny, Wales. Before moving to Ascot, he farmed in Wales and in Shropshire - the donor estimates that he started farming in the 1940s. During and just after WW2, he had a lot of Italian prisoners to help on his farm. He moved to Ascot Place in 1967 and worked there until his retirement in 1985 or 1986. When Joseph Bevan arrived at the Ascot Place Estate, it was under the ownership of entrepreneur Clive Sinclair, and it was later brought by H. J. Heinz. // He kept cattle (but not dairy) and sheep, and occasionally did arable farming also. He won a ploughing match, about which there is a press cutting as it was considered unusual for a stockbreeder to have won. He was considered a local expert on sheep - other local farmers used to bring their flock to the farm to be sheared. He also used to look after other people's sheep and would usually get some lambs in return. The Welsh blacks he kept at Ascot Place were his own flock, as Mrs Heinz only wanted to keep white sheep. He kept Friesian cattle. Even after his retirement, he continued to keep a small flock of sheep until 2001, when he passed away., MERL Miscellaneous note - Jayne Traill Acquisitions - 'She also doesn't remember the large ear punch being used.'