Object number
52/190
Description
This crook stick was used in harvesting. In some parts of the country it was used in conjunction with a sickle; the reaper cuts with the sickle in his right hand and gathers the corn into sheaves with the crook stick. In addition, the person tying up the sheaves after the reaper would use a crook stick for gathering the corn into bundles ready to be tied up into sheaves.
Physical description
1 Crook stick: wood; metal (iron); good condition
Archival history
MERL 'Catalogue index' card – ‘… // DATE ACQUIRED: // GROUP: // NEGATIVE: // PERIOD: // PLACE OF ORIGIN: // NUMBER: // DESCRIPTION: …‘ In some parts of the country the crook stick has been used in conjunction with the sickle for centuries. The reaper with a sickle in his right hand and a crook stick in his left often gathered the corn into sheaves as it was cut. In addition, the person tying up the sheaves after the reaper would use a crook stick for gathering the corn into bundles ready to be tied up into sheaves. In the this case the operator carries the stick in his right hand and gathers the corn into sheaves by putting it towards his left hand, or where thistles are present towards his legs. This crook stick was used in the district of Great Dunmow, Essex. //
Production date
1700-01-01 - 1899-12-31
Object name
Material
Associated subject
