Description

Summary: 1 perforated slate whetstone found at Clyffe Pypard, Wiltshire and given by E H Goddard in 1912.

Research results

An incomplete Bronze Age perforated whetstone found in the parish of Clyffe Pypard and gifted to the museum in 1912, by the Rev. E H Goddard. Similar whetstones are found in Early Bronze Age burial groups, and many display signs of wear, suggesting their use in the sharpening of blades, although this stone may have been a metalworking tool. This whetstone is made of a slate-like stone probably from Devon or Cornwall.

This object was examined as part of the research published in Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods; a six-year research project carried out by Professor John Hunter and Dr Anne Woodward and funded by the Leverhulme Trust. Aided by a large number of other specialists the pair undertood an exhuastive study examining over 1000 objects held in 13 museums across the country in order to provide an extensive overview of burial practices in the period and identify regional practices.

This whetstone was examined by scanning electron microscopy by Colin Shell (2000), who noted the presence of trace amounts of gold, suggesting it may have been used to burnish metalwork.