QUERN

A complete set of upper and lower stones from a mid to late Iron Age rotary quern for grinding grain to create flour. The quern is of the beehive type, named as a result of its domed shape. The upper stone has a moulded rim, a U-shaped hopper and a handle socket which penetrates through to the hopper. All of these features are characteristic of the Hunsbury Hill type Beehive Quern, named after a site in Northamptonshire from which around 150 examples were discovered (Ingle 1993/94 21-33). The upper stone has a lower diameter of 30 cm and an upper diameter of 18 cm. The diameter of the opening of the hopper is 10.4 cm. The socket for the handle is sub-rectangular in shape, measures 5 cm x 4 cm and is located 9 cm below the rim and 9.5 cm above the grinding surface. It would once have housed a wooden handle to allow the quern to be rotated, grinding the grain between the surfaces of the two stones. The grain feed measures 2.5 cm in diameter. Protruding slightly from the bottom of the feed is an iron sleeve. The grinding surface is flat and the distance from the handle socket suggests that this stone is comparatively unworn. The lower stone is slightly oval in shape, measuring 29 cm x 32. It is 19 cm in height at its highest side and 10 cm at its lowest. The lower stone is plano-convex in shape and has a central spindle hole, 3 cm in diameter, which tapers to its base. The stone is asymmetrical and it is somewhat unclear whether this is a result of wear or design. However, given that the upper stone exhibits little wear it is possible that the base was deliberately sloped as a means for channelling the grain once it had been ground. Slight areas of damage on the lower stone reveal a slight pinkish colour which is suggestive that the geology of the quern is Millstone Grit, from the Peak district (a geology that was frequent in the querns of Hunsbury Hill (Ingle 1993/4, 21-33)). When set together the two stones form a quern that measures 40 cm in height. Whilst finds of upper stones appear to be reasonably common finds of lower stones are much less frequent and the find of a complete set is very rare. It is interesting that a complete quern such as this should have been discarded or ceased to have been used when there was evidently plenty more wear left in it. Unfortunately, there is little to suggest why this might have been the case. Beehive querns originated in Britain in the middle Iron Age. They continued in use until the end of the Iron Age, and probably into the early Roman period. Given the lack of any Roman material from the site it seems likely that this example dates from the Iron Age, although it must be noted that at present no other Iron Age finds are known from the location.