Object number
55/496
Collection
Description
Sickle used in Gloucestershire. It has a blunt point and an indentation near the handle for the thumb to rest.
This sickle, used in Gloucestershire, shows no trace of a saw edge (a serrated blade). The blade has a blunt point and an indentation near the handle for the thumb to rest and The sickle was the earliest tool for reaping corn, with this shape dating to Saxon times, and was in common use until 1870. The reaper stooped and, grasping a bunch of corn in one hand, curved the sickle round it and cut the straw by drawing the sickle towards him.
Physical description
1 sickle: metal; wood; fair condition- handle broken
Archival history
MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'This Gloucestershire sickle has a blade 27 inches long and a handle of 4 inches. The joint between the handle and blade is strengthened by a metal ring. The handle itself is split and partly eaten away by woodworm. There is an indentation on the blade near the handle where the thumb may rest. There are no obvious serrations on the blade. The blade ends in a point which is not sharp. // see also 51/59M.'
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