Swavesey and District History Society: Report on September Meeting

For the new season, 35 attended a talk by Mike Muncaster from Kimbolton entitled Horsepower, Ploughs and Frogs. 

George Evans became PE teacher at Sawston Village College in 1934.  In 1948, after war service, he moved to the remote Suffolk village of Blaxhall where his wife Ellen had become schoolmistress.  He was fascinated with meeting his elderly neighbours and the Suffolk farm workers which he described as “flesh and blood archives”.  Folklore took over his interest and his first book about the people of Blaxhall; Ask The Fellows Who Cut The Hay was published in 1956.  The Evans family moved twice to follow Ellen’s teaching posts.  He recorded an extensive oral history of the culture throughout each area and his interest in horse folklore inspired his next work The Horse in the Furrow in 1960.

Until the early 1800s use of the heavy horse to plough the land was an attractive and conspicuous activity.  Three breeds in particular stood out: the Shire, still used today by some breweries, the Clydesdale in Scotland and in Evans’ area it was the calm, gentle Suffolk Punch.  The Head Horseman was the most important worker on the farm because he trained young horses to work to commands and he trained apprentice horsemen.  When the horses walked out to start the day the Head Horseman lead the way with the most junior horseman at the back.  Typically, one heavy horse was needed per 30 acres of moderately heavy land. 

Short vintage films were shown of stories and songs about working with horses from elderly horsemen, filmed by Evans.  Part of the responsibility was caring for the health of the horses and head horsemen devised their own recipes which were kept for generations but were rarely written down.  They often used items from hedges to make herbal potions.  To control a horse “Drawing oils” were concocted to make a horse follow its master around while “Jading oils” were used to cause it to stay in one place until needed.  Simply starting the day at 5 a.m. with grooming and feeding gave horsemen extraordinary control over their horses. 

And frogs?  Kill a frog, bury it in an ant’s hill until only the skeleton is left and search for the forked pelvic bone.  In the middle of the night, throw this bone into a stream, always keeping your eyes on it, and if you are lucky this bone will float against the current.  Rescue it quickly and carry it with you to receive the magical power to instantly stop, calm, or control any horse.