Object number
60/50
Description
Crook used by a shepherd for sheep dipping on the estate of Major F.H.T. Jervoise at Herriard Park in Herriard, Hampshire.
A shepherd uses his crook to catch sheep by the hind leg, or by the neck in the case of lambs. This crook has a wooden shaft and an iron handle. This type of crook is also called a 'leg cleek', a tool made by local blacksmiths, copying the basic shape but with individual design elements. It was used by a shepherd for sheep dipping on the estate of Major F.H.T. Jervoise at Herriard Park in Herriard, Hampshire. The donor believed it to have been in use since the mid-nineteenth century.
Physical description
1 crook: metal; wood; fair condition
Archival history
MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Museum of English Rural Life) – 'Standard museum name: … // Accession number: … // Classification: … // Negative number: … // Acquisition method: … // Acquired from: … // Date: … // Store: … // Condition: … // Recorder: … // Date: … // Description: Wooden shaft. Handle is made of iron, signs of splitting around base of handle. Tapers towards top. Curves round & ends in a spiral. // Dimensions: Max length 128.5cm. Handle length 21cm. Handle width 12.5cm. // Associated information: Used by Mr Slade of Tunworth, Basingstoke, Hants. Was a shepherd on the Hernaid (?) [Herriard] Estate. // 91) A good crook was often made from the barrel of an old single barrel gun… About a foot of the barrel being sawn off… There was a tube at once to fit the staff into, while the crook was formed by hammering the tough metal into a curve upon the handles… Pyecombe, in Sussex, has lost is ancient fame as the home of the best shepherds’ crooks, but the Pyecombe crook for many years was unapproached. // Properly speaking, this is a leg cleek rather than a shepherds crook. Made by local blacksmiths copying basic shape (e.g. the throat had a gap of 1 old penny width) but with individual design elements. // References: Shepherds of Britain: Scenes from Shepherd Life: A.L.J. Gosset (London Constable & Company Ltd.)'
Production place
Hampshire
Production date
1825-01-01 - 1874-12-31
Production period
Mid-nineteenth century
Object name
Material
Technique
Dimensions
Associated subject
Associated person/institution
External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_3764.tif - High resolution image
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_16780.tif - High resolution image
