Stubborn beasts who needed an earful of water to get them going

These beasts of burden were used in preference to horses because, although slower, they were cheaper to feed, surer footed and gave a strong steady pull to the plough, making a deeper furrow. Another advantage was that at the end of its working life the animal could be sold to a butcher for prime beef. (In the Great War a good fat ox could make about 100).

Most Sussex farms had at least one set of oxen which would be used not only for ploughing, but for harrowing, carting and even for other work; it was not unusual to see a farm worker's hearse being pulled by oxen and indeed at least one Seaford family used an ox-cart to take them to St Leonard's church every Sunday.

Oxen can be quite stubborn creatures and were usually driven by a boy with a very long wooden stick or 'goad' to guide them. These goads were made of ash and could be up to 12 feet long. If an ox decided to sit down it was found that tipping water into its ears was the only way to get it to its feet and back to work. As these animals have cloven hooves their shoes, known as 'kleats' or 'kews' had to be made in two parts. Unlike horses it is difficult to lift the leg of an ox for shoeing therefore the unfortunate animal was tipped over on to its back to perform the operation. The ox-boy would sit on its neck and hold its horns down to prevent it from getting up. The farrier would then put a wooden tripod over the animal to which its feet were strapped. Despite this complicated process a bullock could be shod in about 20 minutes. At the same time the farrier would often attach brass tips to the horns of the beast by means of an instrument known as a 'knobbing iron'.

Sussex farmers preferred the Sussex ox which was a deep mahogany red in colour and which was accepted as a separate breed by the Royal Agricultural Society in 1851. It usually needed at least eight to pull a plough although the journals of Daniel Defoe, mention the author visiting a village near Lewes where he witnessed 22 oxen tethered together to pull a tree.

The last team of oxen working in Seaford were used at Chyngton Farm (see photograph) although these oxen were Black Welsh rather than the Sussex breed. The last team to work in Sussex however were at Exceat Farm between Seaford and Friston. This team was owned by the farmer, Mr Gorringe and were in use at least until 1924. It is interesting to note that at that time Mr Gorringe believed that ploughing by oxen was cheaper than using mechanical means. He complained that modern tractors were more expensive to maintain and often broke down. When they were used on the rough chalky Sussex downland they would often jolt out of gear so an ox team was far more reliable.

In 1982 the Weald and Downland museum in West Sussex first acquired two 'Sussex oxen' to work at the museum farm and provide other transport around the site. The museum still has two of these docile but rather magnificent creatures. What a shame we no longer see them on the fields around our town.

KEVIN GORDON