Ditcher's shovel
This is a typical wooden ditcher's shovel. The wrought-iron blade bears an indistinct maker's name. It is British and dates from 1850 to 1900. Height 143mm, Length 920mm, Width 270mm
Dunchurch. Buccleuch Estate
Duke of Buccleuch Estate, Dunchurch. War effort: sowing grain on ploughed out grassland. Tractor and two labourers. 1942
Dunchurch. Buccleuch Estate, foresters
Group of foresters on the Duke of Buccleuch's Estate, Dunchurch. 1900
Dunchurch. Buccleuch Estate, ploughing
The Duke of Buccleuch's Estate, Dunchurch. Toft farm. James Russell's ploughing team led by German Prisoner of War. Ploughing out grassland. 1942
Dunchurch. Smithy
The smithy, thatched and timbered cottages, horse and cart and agricultural hay rake, Dunchurch. 1920s
Dunchurch. Buccleuch Estate, tractor
Duke of Buccleugh Estate, Dunchurch. Refuelling tractor. Part of war effort. Horse and cart. Two labourers. 1942
Farrier's Tool
A Farrier's tool used for paring horses hooves. It is made from an iron rod, which is slightly wider at the centre, and has bulbous ends. The tool would have been used to file down the hooves, perhaps ...
Flail
A flail, from Church Lawford, made from a long wooden rod called a hand-staff. This rod has metal fixings at one end, which join the handle to a metal loop, called a souple or swiple. This loop is able ...
Flax breaker
This is a beech-wood red-painted flax breaker of typical form. It rests on tapering solid end-supports with stretchers. It is British. Height 565mm, Length 976mm, Width 161mm
Hay Twister
A hay twister made from a Z-shaped iron rod with two rolling wooden handles. There is a hook on one end. This would have been used to twist straw for thatching and trussing hay.
Hayfield
Frederick William Newton Whitehead (1853-1938) Hayfield, 1918 Oil on canvas 200mm x 250mm A harvest scene set in a landscape. There is a heavily laden, horse-drawn cart in the middle distance. Figures ...
Heathcote. Harvesting
Horse drawn harvester at work on a farm at Heathcote, Leamington Spa. 1937
Little Compton. Blacksmith's Shop
The blacksmiths shop and adjoining cottages, Little Compton. A plough share is standing in front of the smithy. 1900s
Napton on the Hill. Loaded haywain
Loaded haywain, horse, two men and a woman at Napton on the Hill. 1928
Nuneaton. Ploughing engine
Fowler ploughing engine [of about 1880] and stream dredging machinery in operation, Nuneaton. The ploughing engine, or wrought iron engine as it was commonly called, was always used in pairs; there would ...
Peat-cutter's spade
This is a typical wrought-iron peat-cutter's spade. It has a triangular blade with a wooden handle attached in the centre. It is either British or Irish and dates from around 1900. Height 84mm, Length ...
Raphael Holinshed, The... Chronicles, 1577 - harvest woodcut, 'History of Scotland', p. 232.
A harvest scene, from a book known to Shakespeare.
Shakespeare’s parents both came from farming families so he knew well that everyone in country districts would help with cutting and sheaving ...
Reap Hook
Curved steel blade with a wooden handle, thought to have been used in Warwickshire. The manufacturer's name is stamped on the blade.