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A Brief History of The Society of Ploughmen Ltd

The Society of Ploughmen was formed in 1972 to enable the  British National Ploughing Championships to be held annually.

The first twenty-one British National Ploughing Championships were organised by the British Ploughing Association which unfortunately foundered financially after holding the 1971 World Ploughing Contest in Somerset.

A meeting was arranged in a village pub in the Doncaster area which was attended by eighty enthusiasts from as far afield as Cornwall, South Wales and Central Scotland.   It was unanimously decided that a new society be formed and a working party was nominated to formulate the aims of the new society.  Donations were given and £84 was collected by the end of the meeting for the new society.

The working party - consisting of the following representatives -  

- had several meetings and the inaugural meeting of the Society of Ploughmen was held at Agriculture House, Knightsbridge, London on 27th July 1972.  The resolution to form the Society of Ploughmen was put forward by Lord Lonsdale and approved by the 38 people present.

The articles of association were drawn up by the working committee and the Society was incorporated as a Limited Company.  The first Directors were elected on 17th October 1972.

The 1972 British National Ploughing Championships were organised by the East Suffolk Farm Machinery Club with the help of many ploughmen from all parts of the country and the profit of £1,054.04 was given to the Society of Ploughmen.

Ken Chappell (senior) 'volunteered' the services of his two sons - Ken and David - as joint secretaries and found a site at Thorpe Willoughby, near Selby, North Yorkshire for the 1973 Championships.  The match was a great success and the Society of Ploughmen has since gone from strength to strength.

VENUES OF THE BRITISH NATIONAL PLOUGHING CHAMPIONSHIPS

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