It also looks remarkably similar to a pair of calipers.
The ones used by stone masons (eg when carving stone balustrades) were
practically identical but without the bent bits on the end
(I can send a photo if required)
Regards
David
-----Original Message-----
From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Trevor Dunkerley
Sent: 15 September 2007 11:04
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MINING-HISTORY] What is it?
Dear List,
The responses to our enquiry last week are now on the website. I have copied
them for you below:
"Readers have responded with several suggestions of what this artefact might
be and these include:
a hay bale feeder
a hook end crucible picker
a log picker
But probably the best suggestion came from Lyle Browning in the USA. He
wrote:
"One exactly similar came from our canal boat excavation of a late 19th
century freight boat on the James River and Kanawha Canal in Richmond, VA,
USA. It was used onboard to hold a lugged cooking pot where the hooks go
into iron loops. It is suspended from a tripod that straddles the hearth."
And from Beverly Straube also in the States:
"I believe what you have is a pair of hinged cauldron hooks. The hooks fit
into the lugs of the cauldron. One was found in Norwich (see Sue Margeson
1993 Norwich Households. East Anglian Archaeology, Report No 58, pp. 87 and
89."
Many thanks to everyone who contributed.
Our friends across the pond came up with the answers this time!
Trevor
http://www.cmsmrps.org.uk - a community archaeology initiative.
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