> The following Inventory has been transcribed from a document in the Gloucester Record Office. It dates from 1789 and is believed to relate to the Old Engine Works in Cromhall (South Gloucestershire)>
> The document is hand written and difficult to read. The following is our best guess (!!). Some of the terms may however be wrong and many refer to items I have never heard of.
>
> Any comments, particularly regarding items in brackets (which are the least clear) would be appreciated.
>
>
> 3
> Pair (treases backbands and heames's)
> 1
> 16
> 0
>
>
> 469
> 19
> 4
>
>
> £
>
> S
>
> d
>
> 1
> Cart Sadle (Breeching) & (heames's)
> 1
> 1
> 0
>
> and Horse Collors
> 0
> 4
> 6
>
> 2
> New pair iron'd Hames's
> 0
> 8
> 0
>
This lot deals with the harness and gear used to attach a horse to a
cart or other implement (including a gin?). The collar is obvious;
the hames or heames, backband, cart sadle and traces are all part of
the gear. There are differences in the gear and harnesses
used depending on whether the horse is attached to a cart by means of
shafts either side, or something like a plough involving chains. Many
books about old farm implements will give illustrations of these
arrangenments; my memory is a bit hazy on the finer points!
> 50
> Ditto drift irons
>
> And punching irons and wedges
>
> 2
>
> 10
>
> 0
As far as I know, a drift is essentially a metal punch. Here it must
be a bit more than that because punching irons are also listed.
However, I suspect that to a first approximation they would have been
used for the same type of work; making holes in metal sheets, driving
in nails, etc.
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