ARE THESE  

ANGLO‐SAXON SMITHING TONGS ? 

From an Excava on carried out by 

 Ingleborough Archaeology group in Crummack Dale 2013/14 

A Ba y 

2015 

20cm 20cm

  

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Front cover showing Smithing Tongs? Found in Crummack Dale. Photograph A Batty.

                               Anglo‐Saxon Smithing Tongs?  

The photograph on the front cover and (Plate1) shows what could be described as a pair of ‘smithing tongs’ These tongs were found on an archaeological excavation in Crummack Dale carried out by Ingleborough Archaeology Group, which was dated to the Anglo-Saxon period.

Having done an extensive amount of research on smithing tongs there would appear to be considerable doubt as to the suitability of this tool for this purpose. Several details need to be analysed which would cast some doubt on this interpretation of use.

1 The jaws completely cross over.

2 The jaws are angled giving a slightly sharpened edge.

3 Both jaws cross at the point before completely closing in the centre.

4 One jaw is longer than the other, this does not appear to be caused by corrosion, but part of the original design.

5 The overall length of the tongs is more than double the length of the examples shown.

6 Research has not identified a pair of smithing tongs identical to these, the main difference being that the jaws of smithing tongs come together to create a gripping tool.

Considering the points above the tool described here is more likely to be a cutting tool for which the term shears would be a better description. The fact that one jaw is longer than the other may be a design feature for hooking it around something as an aid to cutting. The length of the handles also suggests that this was a two handed tool allowing pressure to be brought to bear on the jaws, probably the reason the tool is broken at the point of pivot. We have, for some time, thought there was possibly a tool missing from the known Anglo-Saxon toolkit, and have carried out extensive research into this matter.

It is well known from archaeological records and historical texts, that coppicing played an important part in the supplying of raw material for many uses in everyday life. The rods produced by coppicing have to be harvested and if you have ever tried to cut the whippy rods of coppiced, or self coppicing trees with an axe you will appreciate the difficulties involved eg. hacking as opposed to cutting with shears. Axes were obviously used prior to the availability of the technology to produce an appropriate tool from iron. The production of a saw represents a step-up in ironwork technology, and they are as rare as hens teeth in the archaeological record for the Anglo-Saxon period. Small finds of badly corroded saws have been found but these suggest that they were small and possibly only used for craft work We have been unable to find any information concerning what we would describe as a pair of coppicing shears from the Anglo-Saxon period.

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We also carried out a search of Norse smithing tools, and here again we could find no tool to match the Crummack Dale find. One thing this research did reveal was that the tong handles became longer in the Norse examples (Fig 3) The jaws remained very similar being designed as a gripping tool and not a cutting one.

Conclusions The research and evidence presented here is, in our opinion, sufficient to show that the identification of this tool from Crummack Dale as a pair of smithing tongs would be incorrect. Apart from three nodules of iron, in a different area of the same structure, two other items were found with the broken tongs. A possible weaving sword which appears to have had the handle broken off, and a strip of iron pointed at both ends which could also be a broken tool of some type, these finds could represent the deposition of three broken tools.

After all our research we have failed to find a tool to match the Crummack Dale one, confirming our belief that these are not smithing tongs but are designed for some cutting purpose. As stated previously there does appear to be a need for a tool to make coppicing quicker and easier. If we are correct in our identification of this tool as coppicing shears, this may possibly be the first pair identified and found in Britain. There is always the possibility the tongs represent a local typology for a smithing tool, but even if we are wrong this still leaves us with a tool that may be the first of its type found, whatever it was used for, which makes it a very important find.

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Fig 1. Smithing Tongs.

1.  Found at Shakenoak. 

2.  Found at Flixborough 

3.  Found at Tatershall Thorpe. 

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5cm 

Fig 2. Smithing Tongs.

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Plate 2. Found at Sibertswold in Kent These Smithing Tongs are described as being 9 inches long.

 

Fig 3. This is a collection of tools from a 10th century smiths grave near Oslo.

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Bibliography.

Fig 1. no 1. Wilson D M. 1976. The Archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England pub. Methuen.

Fig 1 no 2. Leahy K. Anglo-Saxon Crafts in The Oxford Handbook of Anglo-Saxon Archaeology. Hamerow H. Hinton D A. Crawford S.

Fig 1. no 3. Leahy K. Anglo-Saxon Crafts in The Oxford Handbook of Anglo-Saxon Archaeology. Hamerow H. Hinton D A. Crawford S.

Fig 2. Haslam J. Biek L. Tylecote R F. A Middle Saxon Iron Smelting Site at Ramsbury,Wiltshire.

Fig 3. Blindheim C 1963. Smedergraven fra Bygland i Morgedal. Vikings 26.

Plate 2. Brown G B. 1915. The Arts in Early England. Saxon Art and Industry in the pagan period. pub Murray J.

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