Hi Cats,

Thank you for that information. I have to admit that I never been to Cornwall (my excuse is that I was born in the East Midlands and now live in the North West - and Cornwall always seemed like a far off foreign land when I was growing up - which is stupid because I've been to Devon, Somerset etc. several times!). Anyway, I originally learned the Oxen Ploughing song from a singer called Mick Bramwich and remember being bowled over by the song's unusual tune and venerable subject matter.

Thank you very much, Becky for the wonderful link. I so much admire people who can attempt such things and make a success of them!

I wonder if American farmers could re-introduce oxen ploughing to Cornwall? They would have to use the traditional names, referred to by Cats, though: " Sparkleberry", "Speedwell" and "Cherry".

Incidentally, I have seen farmers using cows for pulling ploughs in the Balkans (Macedonia and Bulgaria ... which, OK, are much further away from where I live than Cornwall!!).