What be this then? - a
collection of unusual
antique tools.
For some years now we have been adding to a collection of unusual blacksmith made (mainly) objects although now some wooden (treen) things are also managing to creep in. We tend to enjoy the research through books and showing the objects to try to work out or establish what they were used for. Some are beautiful, some unusual and some plain grusome or even would be considered cruel in the 21st century. Nearly every village would have had a blacksmith, some continuing in the same forge for many generations. The Census returns can be a valuable tool for researching the history of some tools. Nowadays this can be researched on the internet and all the returns are available to view from 1841 through to the newly available 1911. Nearly all blacksmiths and edge tool makers marked their work, the same as a potter would.
We are always pleased to hear from anyone who has an unusual object they would like identified. Please contact us and we'll see if we can help.
The picture to the left of the page is is a blacksmith made tool, probably made for ditching in the 17th century. 
The next picture is a Eel spear. These were again blacksmith made and have become highly collectable as have many other forms of obsolete trapping tools. One of the best museums in the south of England is MERL at Reading (see link). This museum has a fantastic collection of tools and bygones as well as an incredible resource collection.
The axe is no ordinary axe......it is a slaughtermans pole axe. The pin end would would have been used on the forehead of the beast....which is where the common phrase "pole-axed"comes from (when some bangs their head on something)
This is a Hauphner mouth gag, presumeably for a horse, the wooden object to the left is again some sort of gag made by Arnolds.
