Captain and Sergeant

David Shepherd

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Captain and Sergant
Signed Limited Edition of 850
Published 1980
Image Size 8.75" x 15.75"

Ploughing is the skill of cultivating land for the growing of crops. Early ploughs were forked sticks or stag's antlers which scratched the surface of the soil,
but by Roman times animal power was being used to pull shaped pieces of wood to turn the soil. By the time of William the Conqueror the basic parts of the plough had evolved,
a coulter to cut a vertical slice through the soil, a share to undercut the slice horizontally, and a mould-board to turn the slice over and bury any vegetation.
In the 11th century wheels were developed to regulate the depth of the furrow.
Medieval ploughs were very heavy and pulled by teams of oxen, controlled by whip or pole. The oxen ploughed steadily and did a good job.
Farms were small and the land would have been ploughed more often than today to control weeds.