Garden Club

On Thursday April 17th, the members enjoyed a most interesting and entertaining talk by Bruce Smith on the subject of droving, in particular in the south midlands. We heard how geese were driven as long ago as AD 80 and although the talk was mainly about the driving of cattle, other livestock were mentioned including sheep, pigs, geese, donkeys and horses.

Droving took place mainly in the Spring and the Autumn. The cattle were shod with two shoes to each foot and the drovers had to know where on route there was available water for the beasts and inns for the men, as sometimes the men were away from home for many weeks. We were also given tips on how to recognise a drove road - we shall view our local roads in a new light from now on!

Members are now preparing for the plant sale which takes place on May 15th from 7 pm. Tea and coffee will be available so come along for a chat and restock your borders at the same time.

We look forward to seeing you,

Ruth Gibson

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Last modified: May 03, 2014