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FARMING
Death of champion ploughman MERVYn Vowles, who has died aged 90, was a farmer, a gentleman and famously a champion ploughman. Born at Freemans Farm, Barrow Gurney in 1930, he was working on the farm at an early age. It was mostly an arable farm so there was a lot of ploughing to do especially during the war years. aged 16, Mervyn entered his first ploughing match where he came second but at the next match he came first and that was the beginning of a lifetime of winning. tractors were just being used when he started. His trusty nuffield Universal t4 tractor was kept for many years and so was his special plough RSdL 9, a model of which was placed on the coffin at his funeral. Mervyn was a really professional ploughman. In his heyday he competed across England and Wales, winning national championships. Starting in 1973 at Selby in Yorkshire he won seven more national championships and six Welsh nationals. One of Mervyn’s special interests was the north Somerset agricultural Society and particularly their ploughing committee where he took a leading role for many years. He entered the competitions, advised, and helped young people. He was also a very active member of the Mendip Ploughing Society. In 1953 Mervyn married dolly alway who had been a Land Girl working on his father’s farm. they eventually settled at Hill Farm, Barrow Gurney. they were the backbone of village life chairing many committees, dolly ably assisting. In 1997 they retired from the farm and moved to nailsea but they were frequent visitors to Barrow Gurney attending as many
events as they could. Mervyn coped well after dolly’s death in 2017 but ill-health forced him into a nursing home for the last three months of his life. He will be sadly missed by his family and his many friends. Lynne Vowles
Society’s tribute
aS a stalwart of the north Somerset agricultural Society’s ploughing match committee, Mervyn could be relied upon to turn his hand to whatever job needed doing. Whether as its chairman or regular member, Mervyn was a great colleague, respected ploughman, a man of integrity and a thoroughly nice person. the society were rightly proud that one of their own had been England and Wales’ national champion on numerous occasions. His wisdom, patience, grace and good humour will be sorely missed by all concerned at committee meetings, marking out days and “the match”.
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MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2021 • PAGE 11
