Wigan Album

What a lovely photo, and what beautiful horses!

As a lad we lived across from a farm and remember things like this as if it was yesterday, I've been thrown on the horse back manytimes going back to the farm from the field

All my antecedents were farmers and tilling the land in this way was the "norm" - I don't know how true this is but I read that for one man to plough one acre he would walk 11 miles - my gt gt grandfather had a farm of 400 acres but also had 6 strapping sons to help and a few servants.

It is true Keith,near enough anyway,the old plough did a 9inch furrow,4 to a yard x 70,nearly 11 miles.

Thank you Maurice, it's gratifying to know it wasn't an old wives tale - one of his 6 sons was my great grandfather one of whose sons, my grandfather also worked on farms. It was suggested that he was the "strongest man in Llanelli" -it didn't seem much to me when I was told what he did to earn this epithet - i.e. hold a bag of flour, one under each arm, and lift them clear of the ground - until I found out just last week that these "bags of flour" weighed 20 stone each.

bet he's thinking wish I had a tractor

Nice to see this, one of my earliest memories is off horse ploughs in UpHolland 50 odd years ago.

Bet he wished he was a millionaire.

The horses are pulling a harrow to break up the ground and make it much more level for the next use.

Keith
It's priceless snippets like your gt. Grandfathers holding two 20stone bags under either arm that make this album page so great.

Thank you Tom and its gracious comments such as yours that makes it all so worthwhile.