Just in case anyone is interested this is the book I was thinking of.....

Lifting the Latch: A Life on the Land - Based on the Life of Mont Abbott of Enstone, Oxfordshire (ISBN: 0953221334)
Stewart, Sheila

...a book based on the life of Mont Abbott of Enstone Oxfordshire , his life as a shepherd singing in the church choir, a must for country lover who yearn for a time past.
Sheila Stewart has given us a rare autobiography in recording the life story of Mont Abbot, for he would never have written it himself. But Mont had a rare genius for talk, as well as a shrewd eye for people. He recaptures for us a whole country world, as seen by a farm boy, labourer and shepherd over fifty years. The story he gives us is of forgotten skills and bare poverty, courage and love,and bitter disappointment, sustained throughout by a wry eloquence.

I can recommend this to anyone who wants a really good read.

PS. abebooks has numerous copies.