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A mill bill bit found in Membury, Devon, in 1962. A mill bill is a hammer-like hand tool consisting of a 'bill' or 'bit' (steel wedge) and a thrift (wooden handle). It is used for dressing millstones by the process of 'cracking' so that the correct grinding action is achieved between the upper stone, or 'runner', and the lower 'bed-stone'. This particular bit would have been used for cleaning out the smallest grooves in a millstone.

1 mill bill bit: metal

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’ – ‘MILL BILL – BIT // CRAFTS Stone millstone // ... // Mill bill used for cleaning out smallest grooves in millstone. Found under stairs at Rock Mill, Membury, Axminster, Devon in 1962. Stairs probably built 1850. // [pencil sketch] // Metal – badly rusted.’