Meaning
A farm worker who drove the plough to turn over and prepare soil for planting.
Description
Ploughmen were skilled farm workers who guided plough teams of horses or oxen to prepare fields for seeding. Ploughing required considerable skill to cut straight furrows at the correct depth and to manage a team of strong animals working in tandem. Many ploughmen took great pride in their work and ploughing matches were popular rural competitions. The ploughman was a higher-status agricultural worker than a general labourer, reflecting the skill and responsibility involved. The term is found throughout agricultural records from the medieval period onwards.
Also Known As
Plowman, Teamsman
Commonly Found In
- Census Returns
- Parish Registers
- Estate Records
- Farm Records
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