Many thanks to all those who know their agricultural implements much better than us for the information about the implement that we unearthed earlier this month.
It seems likely that it is a potato ridger or grubber. Our dear neighbour Frank thinks so.
Thank you Sandra from Horsepower in Ireland for your comments:
Hi John,
What a beautiful place you have, the
views are stunning!
It is fairly common to find old
pieces of horse-drawn equipment in ditches, behind barns, under dung heaps
etc., often covered in nettles like yours. But it is always thrilling to find
these things on your own land! We found our first piece of horse-drawn
equipment - a spring tooth harrow - behind our barn, and we still use it with
our two horses.
Common ploughs usually have two
wheels at the front, a smaller and a bigger one (one to run in the furrow, and
one running on the un-turned ground). So it looks like yours, given
it has only one wheel, used to be a potato ridger or possibly a scuffler (which
is a horse drawn hoe of some sort). But because the acutal piece running
through the soil is gone, it is hard to tell. You may find it hepful to look up
the equipment we use: http://www.horsepowerinireland.com/about-our-equipment.html.
There is a picture of a potato ridger and a plough, and I've just put up a
picture of a scuffler as well.
There is a fantastic museum in
Johnstown Castle in Co. Wexford (http://www.irishagrimuseum.ie/collection/index.htm)If you ever go that way, it is
worthwhile visiting, and you might find some useful information.
Best wishes,
Sandra
Her site is brilliant, lovely pictures and lots of fascinating facts - good luck with your great venture
Here's some pictures of our one:
 |
| Paul on unearthing day! |
 |
| a beautiful thing |
 |
| generally ploughs have two front wheels (so I'm told!) |
 |
| you can see the indentations where they screwed in the height adjuster |
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| hand wrought - lovely |
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| there would have been two blades fixed here |
 |
and one here
|
This is a picture of part of a horse shoe that we found last July.
Could it have shod the horse that pulled our grubber?
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| found when we were making a flowerbed |
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