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10 inch Hertfordshire socket bill hook,

A. Morris & Sons Ltd. (Manufacturer)

This ’10 inch Hertfordshire socket bill hook’ was made by A. Morris & Sons of Dunsford, Devon, post-1945. It has a shaped ash handle and a broad, convexly curved steel blade with a straight-edged hook at the tip. The blade is stamped ‘No. 9’. The billhook is part of a large collection of traditional craft products acquired from the British Council in 1960.

1 billhook: metal, wood

MERL miscellaneous note, B. L. 22 March 1961 – ‘The British Council collection. // This collection of material which is covered by the accession numbers 60/430 to 60/791 contains examples of craft products made in the British Isles. The major part of the collection was prepared immediately after the Second World War for a travelling exhibition which was sent to Australia and New Zealand. // The collection was purchased for a nominal sum by the Museum in two portions, the one in the summer of 1960 and the other in February 1961. // For further details see the individual catalogue cards and the catalogue prepared for the temporary exhibition of the collection.’, MERL 'Catalogue index' card – ‘This “10 in. Hertfordshire Socket Bill Hook” was made by A. Morris & Sons Ltd., of Dunsford, Devon. It has a broad convex blade which reaches a maximum width of 3 1/2 in. The rear of the blade has small straight edged hook. The shaped ash handle fits into a socket in the steel blade. The total length is 17 1/4 in. // On the blade is stamped the No. 9.’, MERL ‘Country Craftsmanship’ Exhibition Catalogue, 2 May–31 October 1961, ‘Introductory Note’ by Andrew Jewell – ‘The objects shown in this Exhibition of Country Craftsmanship were originally purchased by the British Council in 1946. They were selected for exhibition in Australia and New Zealand as samples of traditional handcrafts which were then being practised in the British countryside. The Museum of English Rural Life was fortunate to acquire this valuable collection from the Council and to have the opportunity of displaying such a wide variety of skills. // Almost all the crafts shown are still to be found in this country although, in the intervening fifteen years, many of the small firms and individual craftsmen whose products are represented in the Exhibition, have given up working. The number who now remain to carry on these particular traditional crafts continues to decline with the growth of mechanization, the obsolescence of their products and the difficult of finding apprentices to follow them. // All the objects on display have one characteristic in common – they were made to be used. Any aesthetic qualities which the craftsman achieved grew without self-consciousness. Over long years of apprenticeship the craftsman developed an intimate knowledge of the raw material at his disposal and its peculiarities. He acquired by inheritance the methods of his craft which may have had a continuous tradition over centuries of time. And he was quite familiar with the way in which his product was to be used. // We can derive pleasure simply by looking at the shapes and decorations. Both, however, are inseparable from function and environment, and the objects can only be most fully appreciated by an understanding of the purpose for which each was intended. // This, then, is an exhibition of everyday things, made by men and women who might not think of themselves as artists, but whose work, nevertheless, has enriched the daily life of those who live with their products.’, MERL ‘Country Craftsmanship’ Exhibition Catalogue, 2 May–31 October 1961, ‘Hooks and Slashers’, p.6 – ‘At one time almost every parish had its own distinct type of hook for reaping or hedging. The chief distinguishing features are the weight, shape and length of the blade, and the shape of the handle. Manufacturers still produce many different patterns for local requirements.’, MERL ‘Country Craftsmanship’ Exhibition Catalogue, 2 May–31 October 1961, p.6 – '36. Hertfordshire Socket Billhook // (Items 32–38 by A. Morris & Sons, Dunsford, Devon.)', Dartington Hall 'Made in Devon: An Exhibition of Beautiful Objects Past and Present' Exhibition Catalogue, Summer 1950, p.6 – ‘Edge Tools // One of the oldest surviving crafts in Devon, handed down on family lines from early times. The oldest firms in Devon are Finch Bros. of Sticklepath, founded in 1816, and Knapman’s of Harberton, founded a few years later; both still use water wheels to drive the hammers. A. Morris & Son, Dunsford, is a newer firm using more modern methods. // The tools exhibited show how the designs vary according to the district for which they are made. The origins of these designs are lost in antiquity but their local individuality is still in great demand. Some of the tools are made specifically for Scotland and Ireland.’, Dartington Hall 'Made in Devon: An Exhibition of Beautiful Objects Past and Present' Exhibition Catalogue, Summer 1950, p.6 – ’19. 9 in. Herts. Socket Bill Hook. [Made by Knapman, Harberton.]’, British Council Ref. No. 481.

Dunsford

1945 - 1950

Metal, Wood