Object number
53/574
Description
A type of spade used to the south west of England, Wales and Ireland. Sometimes known as a Devon spade.
This type of spade or shovel was limited in its use to the south west of England, Wales and Ireland. In Wales no other type of shovel was used at all, and it is known in Welsh as a 'rhaw'. It was sometimes known as a Devon spade due to its use in Devon and Cornwall. It is generally used for gardening, and is sometimes issued to roadworkers also. This spade head was picked up from a rubbish dump at a farm called Ffynnonfadog, in Ceredigion, where it was used until the early 1950s.
Physical description
1 spade head; metal; good condition
Archival history
Object Research Project, Further Afield, June 2024 - 'Probably made by a blacksmith at Aberaeron, Ceredigion, but could have been made in some factory, as they are still produced for sale in this district of Penbryn, Cardiganshire.'
Production date
1951
Object name
Material
Associated subject
External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_254.tif - High resolution image
