Ploughing
Ploughing is the process of breaking up soil to prepare it for farming. This was originally done with handheld tools, then animal drawn and mechanical methods were developed.
Ploughing can be identified by parallel sets of long narrow trenches or furrows it leaves in the ground. There are different ploughing methods that can be identified and these can help date the farming work.
Cord Rig is a system used as early as the Bronze Age (2600BC-700BC) that started out as a hand dug method and was improved by ploughing. Crops are grown on narrow ridges divided by furrows that were dug for drainage. If a plough has been used an ‘S-bend’ is sometimes visible in the furrows. This type of ploughing is frequently found in association with prehistoric field systems and settlement sites. The ridges range from 1-1.5 metres in width between the furrows and can be found in fields with formal boundaries or unenclosed plots of 600-5000 sq. m.
The heavy plough that turned over the soil as it went became common in the Medieval Period (CE410-CE1540). This type of plough was used to create the distinctive Ridge and Furrow type marks which are easily recognised today.
What to look for:
- Evidence of parallel furrows that differ in form from modern ploughing
- Ploughing at an orientation that is not in line with the modern field boundary
