What if I told you that these seemingly ordinary ridges held secrets from the Middle Ages? This is rig and furrow. It’s an archaeological pattern etched into the landscape.
Rig and furrow marks a system of ploughing once common across Europe. It is especially common in the North East of England and in Scotland. Here in Glasgow, we can still see the remnants of this ancient agricultural practice.
Imagine medieval farmers tilling these fields. They used non-reversible ploughs. These ploughs couldn’t simply turn around and plough the next furrow in the opposite direction. Instead, they ploughed in a clockwise direction around long rectangular strips.
Each year, the plough turned the soil towards the center of the strip. Over time, this created a ridge. Furrows formed between the ridges. This process is called filling or gathering.
The ridges offered better drainage in a wet climate. Moisture drained into the furrows. In sloping fields, water collected in a ditch at the bottom. The ridges also marked units in landholding. They helped in assessing the work of the plougher. The ridges were also useful in reaping in autumn.
These strips were traditionally a furlong long. That’s about 220 yards. They could be from about 5 yards to a chain wide. A chain is 22 yards. This gave each strip an area of about 0.25 to 1 acre.
In the early Middle Ages, large teams of oxen pulled heavy wooden ploughs. When the oxen reached the end of a furrow, the leading oxen turned left along the headland. The plough continued as long as possible. This twisted the end of each furrow slightly to the left. This created a slight reverse-S shape in the ridge and furrow pattern.
Later, as oxen became larger and ploughs more efficient, smaller teams were needed. Straight ploughing became easier. Ridge and furrow from the late Middle Ages is therefore straight.
Many places ploughed away this pattern over the centuries. Reversible ploughs made it easy to remove the ridges. But in some cases, the land became grassland. If it hasn’t been ploughed since, the ridge and furrow pattern has been preserved.
Surviving rig and furrow can be quite impressive. The height difference between ridge and furrow can be 18 to 24 inches. When in active use, the height difference was even more. It was over 6 feet in places.
Rig and furrow reminds us of the agricultural practices of the Middle Ages. It is also called rigg and furrow. It provides insights into land management and farming techniques. The earliest examples date to the post-Roman period. The system was used until the 17th century in some areas. That was as long as the open field system survived.
So, the next time you see these ridges, remember the medieval farmers. Think about their oxen and ploughs. Consider the history beneath your feet. This rig and furrow is a tangible link to Glasgow’s agricultural past.