The one-way plough in south-eastern England

This observation by the sixteenth-century writer Fitzherbert is an early indication of the existence of a distinctive local plough-type in the extreme south-eastern corner of England, the most noteworthy characteristic of which was its moveable mouldboard (‘sheldbredth’) and its consequent ability to turn a furrow on either side. Although this implement—the ‘Kent’ or ‘turn-wrest’ plough—has frequently been mentioned in passing in agricultural literature and in regional surveys, it seems never to have been studied from an ethnological point of view. This article is an attempt to remedy this situation, and will be concerned particularly with the construction and use of the plough, its geographical distribution and some aspects of its terminology.