66/329

A barking iron used for stripping bark in order to extract tannin to use in leather making. From Chardstock in Devon.
A barking iron - a tool used for stripping bark from branches of felled trees in order to extract tannin to use in leather making. It came originally from Chardstock in Devon.

1 barking iron: metal (iron); fair condition- handle missing

MERL Miscellaneous note, Greta Bertram, 5 March 2014 – The Burne-Jones collection of thatching and other tools was put together by the donor while living in Membury, Devon, some time prior to 1966. She had planned to open a private museum. The tools came from the workshop of Mr Spiller, a thatcher from Yarcombe, Devon, and were in regular use until his death in 1962. He had thatched in the area his whole life, and his widow passed on his tools. By 1966 the donor had moved to Oxfordshire and no longer had room for the Collection so donated it to MERL., MERL ‘Handwritten catalogue’ – ‘BARKING IRON // 66/329 // PROCESSING Skins leather // ... // Donated originally by Mr W. R. Chubb, Chardstock, Devon. // [pencil drawing] // Metal – Iron.’