Book description
The Suffolk Punch - that sturdy, compact draft horse of noble
ancestry - was, until mechanisation, the powerhouse of the East
Anglian farming community. In The Horse in the Furrow (1960), renowned
social historian George Ewart Evans explores this potent symbol of a
bygone era, and the complex network - farmer, horseman, groom, smith,
harness-maker and tailor - which surrounded it. Evans charts a
fascinating course, demonstrating the connectedness of husbandry,
custom and dialect, and arguing for an organic, inclusive study of
these aspects of rural life. In particular, the section on folklore
sheds light on some of the most obscure practices, with the Punch
standing proudly at its centre. With beautiful illustrations by
Charles Tunnicliffe, The Horse in the Furrow is an engaging and subtle
portrait of an animal at the heart of its community
Born in the mining town of Abercynon, South Wales, George Ewart Evans
(1909-88) was a pioneering oral historian. In 1948 he settled with his
family in Blaxhall, Suffolk, and through conversing with his neighbours
he developed an interest in their dialect and the aspects of rural life
which they described. Many were agricultural labourers, born before the
turn of the century, who had worked on farms before the arrival of
mechanisation. With the assistance of a tape recorder he collected oral
evidence of the dialect, rural customs, traditions and folklore
throughout East Anglia, and this work, reinforced by documental
research, provided the background for his renowned East Anglian books.
