66/313/1-10

Four hazel spars, each consisting of split wooden rod which has been sharpened to a point at each end and twisted in the centre into a staple shape. Spars are used to hold thatch in place when attaching new layers of thatch to an existing roof. These spars belonged to a thatcher from Yarcombe, Devon.

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’ – ‘BINDS – hazel // 66/313/1–7 // CRAFTS Straw thatch // ... // 2 Binds used in thatching by Mr Spiller, Yarcombe, Devon. Made of hazel. // [pencil drawing]’