Object number
55/475
Description
A sickle stamped with the initials 'LO', the handle has a ten pointed star fixed to the tip. It was the earliest tool for reaping corn.
This is a saw edged sickle (i.e. it has a serrated blade) with a wooden handle. The blade is stamped with the initials 'LO' and the handle has a metal ten pointed star fixed to the tip. Nothing is known of its origins. 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; good condition- part of blade worn through use
Archival history
MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'The origin of this sickle is not known as it was left on the front door step of the Museum. The blade is 23 inches long and the tip is blunt. Very clear serrations are visible along the greater part of the blade and the initials LO are stamped on the blade. One portion of the blade 6 inches from the handle is worn away with use. The wooden handle is 5 1/2 inches long and has a metal ten pointed star fixed to the tip. // see also 51/59M'
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