Wellmann Imre szerk.: A Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum Közleményei 1971-1972 (Budapest, 1973)

White, Kenneth D.: The Great Chesterford scythes

Pl. 1. Working replica of Great Chesterford scythe blade, with possible hafting. Constructed by J. W. Anstee The last two points raise difficult questions about the hafting of such a scythe, which are discussed later in this paper. B. Work done at the Museum of English Rural Life at Reading With the kind co-operation of Dr. Bushneil, Curator of the Museum at Cambridge, two of the best preserved blades were brought to the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading for the start of a technical investigation into their construction and possible methods of hafting and use. Detailed measurements were taken, and some limited metallurgical tests were applied. An exact copy of the larger of the two blades was made by John Anstee, then of the MERL, who also experimented with various forms of hafting, and subsequently used the model on a variety of crops. These preliminary investigations proved that the Great Chesterford scythes were designed for manual harvesting, and were not, as some had supposed, parts of some otherwise unknown machine fitted with a set of blades.

1 Unknown to the team of investigators at Reading was the fact that the Great Chesterford scythes are not unique. During the first two seasons iSee e.g. LIVERSIDGE, J. Britain in the Roman Empire. Oxford 1968.