51/155

Saddler’s stitching clamp from Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, used to hold the leather in place while stitching.
This saddler’s stitching clamp came from Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, and was used to hold the leather in place while stitching.

1 clamp; wood [oak] and metal; fair conditionIt consists of two flat pieces of oak, 43.5 inches long, held together by a screw within 3 inches of the bottom. The upper part of the clamp is bowed so that the two halves meet at the top. At the butt the clamp is but 2 inches in width, but at the part where the two halves are bowed it becomes 3.5 inches in width, narrowing again at the sprung tip to 2 inches.

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – ‘Clamp // DATE ACQUIRED: January 1951 // GROUP: Crafts - leather - saddlery // NEGATIVE: 35/214 // PERIOD: unknown // PLACE OF ORIGIN: The H.J. Massingham Collection // NUMBER: 51/155M // DESCRIPTION: This saddler's stitching clamp came to Mr Massingham from Mr Harold Greening of Winchcomb (Glos.) // It consists of two flat pieces of oak, 43.5 inches long, held together by a screw within 3 inches of the bottom. The upper part of the clamp is bowed so that the two halves meet at the top. At the butt the clamp is but 2 inches in width, but at the part where the two halves are bowed it becomes 3.5 inches in width, narrowing again a the sprung tip to 2 inches.’ , MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, October 1989] – 'ACC. NO.: 51/155 // NAME: SADDLER'S CLAMP // NEG NO.: 35/214 // STORAGE: '

Wood, oak, Metal