The first Monday after the 6th January heralded the end of the Christmas holidays and a return to work so was designated Plough Monday by farm labourers.
Special prayers including the words God speed the plough were said for the new farming season and the ploughs blessed before being dragged through the village in celebration. Ploughmen dressed in white and decorated their ploughs which were then pulled from house to house by plough bullocks - young strong men who often demanded money under duress rather than appealing to the householders' better nature. Failure to pay could see a front garden or path ploughed up.
The money was originally used to maintain farming equipment throughout the year but the plough bullocks preferred to spend it on a specially brewed plough ale. The resulting drunkenness dragged the festival into disrepute and by the 19th Century, it had all but died out.
God speed the plough as a blessing is thought to have been brought over to England by the Danes but the first written record of the phrase is in a 15th Century song. Speed The Plough is still sometimes seen as a pub name and arose either from the local tradition or the popular song.
Taken from A Book About Pub Names by Elaine Saunders. Available as a lavishly illustrated e-book download through LULU. Or read an extract and related articles at Complete Text.
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