The latter-day history of the draught ox in England, 1770-1964

Following a short-lived sporadic recovery in the Napoleonic Wars, draught oxen are assumed to have undergone a demographic collapse and, by the mid-nineteenth century to have been virtually extinct. This assumption is re-examined to suggest that, while nationally oxen were in retreat, parts of south...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agricultural history review 2010-01, Vol.58 (2), p.191-216
Main Author: Collins, E. J. T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
18th century
Agricultural land
Agricultural techniques
Agriculture
Animal husbandry
Breeding
Breeding
food
Cattle
Checkers
Crops
Earth sciences
Farm economics
History of science and technology
Horses
Human action
Life sciences
Oxen
Pastures
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Summary:Following a short-lived sporadic recovery in the Napoleonic Wars, draught oxen are assumed to have undergone a demographic collapse and, by the mid-nineteenth century to have been virtually extinct. This assumption is re-examined to suggest that, while nationally oxen were in retreat, parts of southern and eastern England, notably the chalk and limestone uplands, where horses had long been the rule, were experiencing a resurgence. The 'old' and 'new' traditions are contrasted to show fundamental differences in function, breeds, management, and environment. The paper also provides a summary account of the ultimate demise of the ox from the mid-nineteenth century to the disbandment of the last working team at Cirencester Park in 1964.
ISSN:0002-1490