History of show is recovered

A farmer’s wife who has been associated with Southwell Ploughing Match and Show for more than 30 years has written a book about its history.

Mrs Juliet Elliott of Halloughton Wood, Halloughton, was inspired to write the book, called Ins And Outs: The History Of Southwell And District Agricultural Society And Ploughing Match, after researching the history of the show and agricultural society and finding early records were lost.

Mrs Elliott, who is a member of the show’s ladies’ committee, said: “Sometime during the 1900s all the records about how the society was started were lost.

“I started helping with a display in the domestic produce tent on the history of ploughing in the area.

“I got a few bits and pieces together for each show and, over the years, I found I’d got quite a lot of information but nothing about when the show started.

“It was then that I decided I would put the information together and find out more about the origins of the show.”

Mrs Elliott used reports and pictures from the Advertiser archives to trace the origins of the agricultural society back to 1855.

She said: “I found that the Advertiser had done some brilliant write-ups of the show from 1860 onwards, and I happened to find one report that said the society started in 1855.

“From the first one or two reports I’ve been able to build up the history of the show and the society.

“Having read reports of the agricultural society’s after-dinner speeches it seems nothing has changed in some respects as the issues they were talking about then, such as diseases and lack of support from the government, are issues affecting farmers now.

“The show lost momentum and folded in 1880, before starting again in 1908.

“Although it had a bit of a rough time in the late 1960s it has continued until the present day.”

The book includes photographs of the show.

Mrs Elliott said that when the show started it had classes in only ploughing, hedging, ditch digging and gardening.

She said: “It wasn’t until 1868 that the show had its first small cattle classes.

“It also had sheep and cart horses, and a pig was entered in the best breeding sow class.”

Mrs Elliott said the book ends with a description of how the current committee prepares for the show.

She said: “The show has continued to grow and there has been determination lately to keep it to its rural traditions.

“These days we have a lot more classes as well as a lot of vintage tractors and animal displays.”

Copies of the book are available from the Minster Book Shop, Southwell, the Bookcase, Lowdham, or from Mrs Elliott at Halloughton Wood, Southwell, NG25 0QR and cost £12.99.