51/223

This is a roller type of drag shoe, also known as a ‘roller scotch’ which would be hung so as to drag behind a wagon wheel as it moved up hill. If the wagon stopped, the roller was used to ‘scotch’ the wheel to stop the wagon rolling backwards.

1 drag shoe: wood (elm); metal; good condition

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'This is a roller type of drag shoe, sometimes known as a “roller scotch” hung so as to drag behind a wagon wheel as it moved up hill. If for any reason the wagon stopped, the roller was in place to scotch the wheel immediately. Rollers in the form of a small cylinder were usually made of elm cased with two or more iron bands. On some wagons (e.g. the Museum’s Berkshire wagon No. 54/365) a dog stick is found in place of the roller. This which was hooked on the rear axle was dragged along as the wagon went up hill. When the horse stopped the dog stick immediately dug back into the road surface. // This drag shoe consists of an elm roller 9 inches long and 5.6 inches in diameter. It has an iron band on each extremity, while the iron cheeks, in the form of slightly curved pieces of iron join the spindle of the roller to the chains. These are each 9.5 inches long, while one of the chains is 24.6 inches long and the other which terminates in a hook is 26.8 inches long. The drag shoe when not in use hung on the back axle of the wagon. It is noteworthy that carts were never supplied with rollers.', MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, October 1989] – 'ACC. NO.: 51/223 // NAME: DRAG SHOE // NEG NO.: 35/177 // STORAGE: '

Wood, elm, Metal