Then cometh clerkys of Oxford and make their mone,
For their school here they must have money,
Then cometh the tipped-staves for the Marshalse,
And saye they have prisoners mo than inough;
Then cometh the mynstrellis to make us gle —
‘I praye to God, spede wele the plough.’
(from a medieval rhyme)
In fact, the “mone” coming from Oxford at the moment is not about a want of money, but rather the want of a conference about ploughing (and, well, maybe a bit of money too).
Plans are now afoot to hold such a colloquium, in Oxford next January, and blog-followers may have noticed the appearance of a new webpage on this site, dedicated to the event: Ploughing Ahead.Take a look for more details, a form to register interest, and our first call for papers.
As far as we know, this is the first such colloquium on the topic for a good many years – decades, perhaps – and promises to be an exciting event for those working in agricultural archaeology!
MJM.