³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Samuel Revill's hammer

Contributed by Robert Walters

Samuel Revill's hammer

Image 1Ìý´Ç´ÚÌý2

Samuel Revill (1847-1932) was a bootmaker from Sturton by Stow, near Lincoln. His hammer has the iron head and ash shaft of a standard cobbler's hammer. What makes it significant is the way that continual daily use over many years has worn the shaft into the exact shape of Samuel Revill's palm. The riding boots he made were much sort after and Samuel could have set up on his own account in Lincoln. But he would not leave his beloved Sturton. Nor apparently would he replace the handle of his hammer - which has an old deep split running its entire length. It is difficult to the think yourself into his admittedly somewhat narrow mindset. Sitting crossed-legged on his workbench, the hammer must have become almost an extention of his hand, perfectly adapted for those countlessly repeated taps and strikes. To me my great grandfather's hammer signifies an 'at oneness' with his world that has almost vanished from ours, seemingly as our horizons expand and expand.

Comments are closed for this object

Comments

  • 1 comment
  • 1. At 20:14 on 13 August 2010, Bob Burgess wrote:

    In the Abbeydale Hamlet museum in Sheffield are similarly worn hammers used for rivetting scythe blades. Even more interesting is the depression worn in the bench top where the workman placed his hammer between blades... As for the split, Irving Sloan, an american author on woodcraft states the case where a logger split his axe handle and carried on working for the rest of the week until he could replace it. It just shows what a craftsman can do with a tool that today's H&S legislation would class as unsafe or unfit for purpose.

Share this link:

Most of the content on A History of the World is created by the contributors, who are the museums and members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ or the British Museum. The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site’s House Rules please Flag This Object.

About this object

Click a button to explore other objects in the timeline

Location

Head Sheffield; shaft local.

Culture
Period
Theme
Size
H:
23cm
Colour
Material

View more objects from people in Bradford.

Podcast

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ navigation

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Â© 2014 The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.