Object number
63/106
Exhibition
Description
The is a wooden shepherd's crook, possibly of chestnut. The handle is carved from the root, and has the initials 'R. C.' carved into it. Its origin is unknown, but it has been suggested that it may have originated in Kent, where it belonged to a member of the donor's family.
Physical description
1 crook: wood (chestnut?); good condition
Label Text
Crook. Little is known about this crook's history, but it was likely made in Kent is probably fashioned from chestnut. Crooks were used by shepherds to catch sheep by the leg, and were employed as makeshift walking sticks to aid with crossing difficult terrain. Most shepherds crafted their own crooks. Crooks have also been symbolic of religious power for thousands of years. The Hebrew prophet Moses is usually depicted holding one, and the Egyptian god Osiris is rarely seen without his flail and crook. It is even theorised that candy canes are based on crooks; in 1670, a German choirmaster was inspired by the shepherds' role in the Nativity and bent sugar candies to resemble crooks.
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: EAC // Date: 22.4.97 // Description: One-piece shepherd crook in (?) chestnut with handle carved from root – stock initials ‘R.C.’ // Dimensions: Length 130cm; Dia 2.5cm max // Associated information: Possibly of Kentish provenance where it belonged to a member of Miss Pittock’s family // References: …'
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External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_5336.tif - High resolution image
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_13430.tif - High resolution image
