Lummis the Ploughman
(first published in 'Suffolk Roots', May 1992)
Some photos for my son living in North London went astray not long ago By a nice coincidence they had found their way to another Lummis (Trevor) living in the same road. As a result we got to know each other and found that our respective ancestries could both be traced back to the same group of villages in mid Suffolk where families of that name are still living. Trevor Lummis who has written a number of books including one on the fishermen of the East Coast and another (in collaboration with Jan Marsh) entitled "The Woman's Domain" - a book based on material on seven English Country Houses owned by the National Trust - wrote to me recently with a fascinating bit of information.
He had come across a book entitled "The Practical Handyman" by R. Maxwell published in 1757. On page 191 there was an entry to the effect that Mr. Lummis, an Englishman, had given to the Society a presentation on "directions for burning lime-stones and manuring Ground with Marl, Lime, Water etc.". At the end of the book was a page of engravings of a plough and a page of text on "the Ruthven plough made in Scotland some years ago by Mr. Lummis". An earlier edition of the book is dated 1743.
Who was this Lummis? Did he come from Suffolk? How had he got to Scotland? What was special about the Ruthven plough made by him?
Contributed by Lt. Col. Eric T.Lummis
© Suffolk Family History Society and Lt. Col. Eric T. Lummis
Suffolk Roots is the quarterly journal of the Suffolk Family History Society