Object number
51/144
Collection
Description
This scoop was used circa 1880 at Bangrove Farm in Gloucestershire to clean out the mud from ponds. It consists of two parts, the scoop and the handle, both of which are made of ash. Scoops like this were also used to remove mud from ditches and drains.
Physical description
1 drainage scoop: wood [ash] and metal [iron]; fair condition
Label Text
6. Drainage scoop. Clearing out the drainage ditches that often ran along a field boundary on low lying land was part of the routine that went with hedge trimming and maintenance. This is a simple tool for scooping mud from the bottom of a ditch. It is made from a hollowed out piece of ash with a wooden handle secured by two iron bands. It was in use on a farm in Gloucestershire from the 1880s. 51/144.8. Drainage scoop. Clearing out the drainage ditches that often ran along a field boundary on low lying land was part of the routine that went with hedge trimming and maintenance. This is a simple tool for scooping mud from the bottom of a ditch. It is made from a hollowed out piece of ash with a wooden handle secured by two iron bands. Part of the collection given to the Museum by the rural writer H.J.Massingham in 1951, this scoop originated from Bangrove Farm in the Vale of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, home of the Sexty brothers. Massingham wrote about the Sexty brothers - William, George and John - and their traditional way of farming life in his book Country Relics, published in 1939 (pp. 90-100). 51/144.
Archival history
MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, October 1989] – 'ACC. NO.: 51/144 // NAME: SCOOP // NEG NO.: 35/204 // STORAGE: P.Ex. (Permanent Exhibition) Drainage.'
Production date
1800-01-01 - 1899-12-31
Production period
Nineteenth century
Object name
Material
Associated subject
External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\35 series negatives\Scans\35_204.tif - High resolution image
