Michael Harward: ox-leech and philomath in Restoration Ireland

Abstract

This article considers two previously overlooked texts, both printed in Dublin during the reign of Charles II by an otherwise unknown Quaker author named Michael Harward, who had emigrated from rural England to Ireland in the 1650s. The first is an almanac for 1666, the only known copy of which was recently purchased by the National Library of Ireland. The almanac contains much of interest for its readers, from tide-times at Dublin bar and the times and places of markets throughout Ireland to detailed suggestions for the cultivation of crops and domestic economy. Harward’s other book, The Herds-man’s Mate (1673) is a comprehensive manual for treating ailments in cattle. It contains scores of herbal and surgical remedies of all kinds interwoven with entertaining anecdotes drawn from Harward’s veterinary experiences and his interactions with neighbours in Co Offaly.