DOI Artikel:
Lucas, A. T.: Irish ploughing practices, 3
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.48999#0159
IRISH PLOUGHING PRACTICES
■By
A. T. Lucas
PART THREE
Strength and Arrangement of the Plough Team.
As we have seen in the section of these notes
dealing with the Early Christian period, there
are good reasons for believing that the team
consisted of four or six oxen and that these
were, in some cases at least, yoked abreast
(Tools and Tillage II: 1, 1972, 53 ff). The fre-
quent references to the ’short plough’ cited in
the section dealing with ploughing by the tail
presuppose that in the seventeenth century the
horses comprising the team were arranged in
a similar fashion (Tools and Tillage II: 2, 1973,
72 ff). There are from the same period a num-
ber of explicit statements about this from con-
temporary observers, all of which have been
quoted in Parts one and two. Rich (1610) states
that the team commonly consisted of five or six
horses ’placed all in front’; Lithgow (1619)
describes the horses as ’marching all side for
side, three or foure in a Ranke’ and Dineley
(1681) says that the horses were placed four
abreast (Rich, Lithgow, Dineley).
The team of four horses pulling abreast was
still widespread in the eighteenth century and
continued in use in some places into the nine-
teenth. It is reported from County Mayo in 1776
(Young vol. 1, 258) and 1801 (M’Parlan: Mayo
26); from County Monaghan in 1801 (Coote:
Monaghan 122); from County Clare in 1808
(Dutton: Clare 61, 63, 148-49) and 1816 (Shaw
Mason vol.2 470); from County Sligo in 1776
(Young 237) and 1812 (Wakefield vol. 1, 380)
and from County Roscommon in 1816 (Shaw
Mason 407). In addition to these localities
where it is specifically stated that the horses
were harnessed abreast, there are numerous
others where the four-horse team was the one
normally employed. These are distributed
throughout the country as follows :-
Leinster:
County Dublin, 1801-02 (Archer 68; Dutton:
Observations 23), 1824 (Dutton: Galway 88);
County Meath, 1802 (Thompson 108); Coun-
ty Kildare, 1776 (Young 421), 1807 (Raw-
son 7); County Wicklow, 1812 (Radcliff
335); County Laois, 1801 (Coote: Queen’s
County 140); County Kilkenny, 1800 (Tighe
293), 1828 (MacGrath 266, 267); County Of-
faly (Birr District), 1776 (Young 428), (Ba-
ronies of Ballybritt, Eglish, Coolestown,
Geashill, Philipstown, Kilcoursey and Bally-
cowan), 1801 (Coote: King’s County 68, 92,
118, 132, 143, 155, 168).
Munster:
County Cork (Castletownroche, Castlemartyr
and Mitchelstown districts), 1776 (Young
298, 329, 462); County Clare, 1808 (Dutton:
Clare 51); County Limerick (Barony of
Smallcounty), 1777; (Young 455); County
Tipperary (Baronies of Owney and Arra and
Clanwilliam), 1777 (Young 443); County
Waterford (Ballycanvan district), 1776
(Young 411).
Connacht:
County Leitrim, 1802 (M’Parlan: Leitrim
29); County Galway, 1824 (Dutton: Galway
70, 79, 88).
■By
A. T. Lucas
PART THREE
Strength and Arrangement of the Plough Team.
As we have seen in the section of these notes
dealing with the Early Christian period, there
are good reasons for believing that the team
consisted of four or six oxen and that these
were, in some cases at least, yoked abreast
(Tools and Tillage II: 1, 1972, 53 ff). The fre-
quent references to the ’short plough’ cited in
the section dealing with ploughing by the tail
presuppose that in the seventeenth century the
horses comprising the team were arranged in
a similar fashion (Tools and Tillage II: 2, 1973,
72 ff). There are from the same period a num-
ber of explicit statements about this from con-
temporary observers, all of which have been
quoted in Parts one and two. Rich (1610) states
that the team commonly consisted of five or six
horses ’placed all in front’; Lithgow (1619)
describes the horses as ’marching all side for
side, three or foure in a Ranke’ and Dineley
(1681) says that the horses were placed four
abreast (Rich, Lithgow, Dineley).
The team of four horses pulling abreast was
still widespread in the eighteenth century and
continued in use in some places into the nine-
teenth. It is reported from County Mayo in 1776
(Young vol. 1, 258) and 1801 (M’Parlan: Mayo
26); from County Monaghan in 1801 (Coote:
Monaghan 122); from County Clare in 1808
(Dutton: Clare 61, 63, 148-49) and 1816 (Shaw
Mason vol.2 470); from County Sligo in 1776
(Young 237) and 1812 (Wakefield vol. 1, 380)
and from County Roscommon in 1816 (Shaw
Mason 407). In addition to these localities
where it is specifically stated that the horses
were harnessed abreast, there are numerous
others where the four-horse team was the one
normally employed. These are distributed
throughout the country as follows :-
Leinster:
County Dublin, 1801-02 (Archer 68; Dutton:
Observations 23), 1824 (Dutton: Galway 88);
County Meath, 1802 (Thompson 108); Coun-
ty Kildare, 1776 (Young 421), 1807 (Raw-
son 7); County Wicklow, 1812 (Radcliff
335); County Laois, 1801 (Coote: Queen’s
County 140); County Kilkenny, 1800 (Tighe
293), 1828 (MacGrath 266, 267); County Of-
faly (Birr District), 1776 (Young 428), (Ba-
ronies of Ballybritt, Eglish, Coolestown,
Geashill, Philipstown, Kilcoursey and Bally-
cowan), 1801 (Coote: King’s County 68, 92,
118, 132, 143, 155, 168).
Munster:
County Cork (Castletownroche, Castlemartyr
and Mitchelstown districts), 1776 (Young
298, 329, 462); County Clare, 1808 (Dutton:
Clare 51); County Limerick (Barony of
Smallcounty), 1777; (Young 455); County
Tipperary (Baronies of Owney and Arra and
Clanwilliam), 1777 (Young 443); County
Waterford (Ballycanvan district), 1776
(Young 411).
Connacht:
County Leitrim, 1802 (M’Parlan: Leitrim
29); County Galway, 1824 (Dutton: Galway
70, 79, 88).