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PLOUGHS, CHAFF CUTTERS AND STEAM ENGINES: Redmore, Ken, editor.

Review 1 by Dr Roy Brigden, Museum of English Rural Life, Reading University, 2008

Agricultural engineering plays an important part in the history of Lincolnshire from at least the Victorian period onwards and certainly put the county on the world map. Lincolnshire-built farm implements and machines were shipped all over the globe, penetrating through to even the more remote parts, where examples are still to be found in museums and collections today. This splendid new book captures the spirit of enterprise and invention that made such things possible. It manages to do so in spite of, or even perhaps because, it overlooks the really big names in the business, such as Clayton & Shuttleworth, Hornsby, Marshall and Foster – all of which have been written about extensively already – to concentrate on some of the lesser known firms around the county which nevertheless possessed their fair share of flair and imagination.

The book is a collaborative effort between a series of local authors, some with family connections to the businesses they have written about, and each of the thirteen chapters is devoted to a separate firm. Hugh Cooke, for example, has researched the work of his great grandfather, John Cooke, who set up on his own account as a wheelwright and then ploughmaker in Lincoln in the 1840s. He became the largest manufacturer of carts and wagons in the county and his ploughs earned a national reputation, with special variants being offered for overseas work such as vine cultivation. Another firm in this middle rank was James Coultas of Grantham, ably described here by Catherine Wilson, which made its name with prize-winning seed drills and built a local family dynasty that reached its peak in the late Victorian period. When closure finally came in the 1950s, the patterns and the spare parts side of the business were taken over by John H. Rundle Ltd of New Bolingbroke, the subject of another chapter and from a family member, Alan Rundle.

The final chapter is devoted to Tuxford & Sons of Boston, a colourful firm that epitomised the entrepreneurial energy within the industry. William Wedd Tuxford, originally a miller and baker, went into ironfounding, was joined by his four sons and by the 1850s was building steam engines, threshing machines, mills, iron bridges and practically anything else going. The firm found particular success in Australia and opened an Adelaide branch in 1860 but customers around Europe, China, India and South America were also supplied. As the Tuxford sons came to the end of their working lives, the firm's fall was as rapid as its rise and everything was sold up in 1886.

Helped by a host of marvellous illustrations, and with a polished production well marshalled by the editor, the book manages to be both authoritative and highly readable. It is recommended as a worthy contribution to the subject.

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Review 2 in Archive, Issue 60, December 2008

This volume, published by the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, is one of many in an impressive publications list. It recounts the history of thirteen Lincolnshire agricultural engineers and machine makers: their families, workmen and amazing range of products. Notice that the major builders have been omitted as having been covered elsewhere or are deserving their own volume.

Reproduction of the 184 images, many in colour, is excellent. They are an interesting mix of original engravings and photographs of the various works – both internal and external – and images of some of the products that can be found still in existence today. Whilst many of the surviving agricultural machines can be found in museums or at preservation rallies, other output of the foundries will be seen whilst walking the streets – do pay attention to you local drain covers etc.

Text-wise a potted history of each business is given and these are very readable. The variety of output for each business is given, some of which range from steam threshing machines to semaphore signals for railways, from water wheels to larger water turbines, beam engines to windmills, as well as the expected large range of agricultural machinery.

Listed separately are the many small businesses, some probably one man bands, found in the various trade directories and the whole is topped off by a glossary and a comprehensive index.

The book is the deserved winner of the association for Industrial Archaeology’s award for Best Occasional Publication in 2007.