51/180

This is a very small sledge hammer with a long handle used for breaking up stones for road making. It belonged to Mr. James Marshall of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, who used it about 70 years ago on roads about the north west scarp of the Cotswolds. Rocks were first broken up with a larger sledge hammer and then broken down further with the smaller fining hammer.

1 Sledge hammer: metal (steel ); wood (ash); good condition, well balanced.

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'This is a very small sledge hammer with a long handle used for breaking up stones for road making. It belonged to Mr. James Marshall of Winchcombe (Glos.) who used it about 70 years ago on roads about the north west scarp of the Cotswolds. // Some of the stones were picked off the fields and some came from the quarries. The method of breaking the stone was first to chip round the edges with large sledge hammers and to follow up with the small hammer, known as the FINING hammer. The road was filled in with stones and the traffic which passed over it played the part of a modern steam roller. // The head of this hammer is made of steel and measures 3.25 inches in length and is 1 inch broad and high. It is mounted on an ash handle 34 inches in length, and is 2.75 inches in circumference. The tool is very well balanced.', MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, October 1989] – 'ACC. NO.: 51/180 // NAME: STONEBREAKER'S HAMMER // NEG NO.: 35/215 // STORAGE: '

1875-01-01 - 1899-12-31

Late-nineteenth century

Hammer, stone-breaking, Hammer, sledge

Wood, ash, Metal, steel