Cawston Parish Church organized a revival of the ancient tradition of Plough Sunday, with a parade of horses, tractors, and villagers from nearby Sygate to St Agnes’ Church in Cawston. This tradition, which was once a major event in East Anglia, involved blessing the plough and celebrating the beginning of the agricultural season. The practice fell in and out of fashion over the years, but there has been a recent revival of the tradition, with Cawston being one example of this.
In medieval times, Cawston had a Plough Guild which met at the nearby Plough Inn in Sygate. On Plough Sunday or Monday, the guild would process the plough into the village of Cawston with great ceremony and festivity, raising money for the guild and highlighting the importance of agriculture to the village community. The tradition has been revived in Cawston by the local church, and a procession of horses, tractors, and over fifty villagers walked from Sygate to Cawston, singing carols as they walked through the village. The church’s celebration of Epiphany was also blended with the Plough Sunday celebrations.
The church of St Agnes in Cawston houses a horse-drawn plough and other artifacts related to the tradition of the plough. The Plough Inn’s pub sign was given to the church when it closed, and is still proudly displayed above the plough. The church also has a gallery dedicated to the Plough Guild. The church’s Team Vicar, Rev Andrew Whitehead, expressed joy at reviving the tradition of Plough Sunday in Cawston, as it provides an opportunity to thank and remember those who work in the fields around them to provide food and to pray for a fruitful harvest in the year to come.
The tradition of Plough Sunday has been revived in Cawston, with a procession from Sygate to Cawston accompanied by singing carols. The church in Cawston blended the celebration of Epiphany with the Plough Sunday celebrations, with the Wise Men participating in the parade. The church houses a horse-drawn plough and other artifacts related to the tradition of ploughing and agriculture. The local church’s revival of the tradition serves as a way to thank and remember those who work in the fields to provide food and to pray for a fruitful harvest in the coming year. If you have a news story or event relating to Christians or a church in North Norfolk, you can email the details to [email protected].
