QUERN

Upper stone of a rotary quern. The stone is a gritstone with frequent quartz inclusions (suggested Cheshire gritstone). It is a pale greenish grey with large areas of pale to dark pink. There are numerous small rounded pinkish protrusions which, where broken, appear to be formed of iron oxide.

The object is in the classic 'bee hive' form, being domed, and with a concave underside. An inverted conical hopper is located centrally at the top with a sub-circular hole at its bottom which runs right through the stone. The stone has been decorated with a rounded lip at the top edge of the hopper with a further concentric raised lip just below. The surface of the stone is nicely shaped overall but the surface is rough and irregular. Just below the second raised decorative ridge on one side is a rectangular raised collar surrounding a 'D' shaped hole (36.43mm X 23.77mm). This hole penetrates (70.29mm) to about one half the depth of the stone and is quite smooth. It is at right angles to the surface of the stone and thus at an angle to the horizontal. One side of the hole has broken away leaving a large scar in the concave bottom of the stone. A quarter of the way round the stone from this hole, a second hole is located again just below the decorative raised ridge. This hole is more oval (38.30mm X22.67mm) with a rounded rectangular bottom. It is much shallower (44.86mm) and is more horizontal.

Assessment:
It would appear that the two small holes in the side of the quern are to take a wooden handle for turning the upper stone against the stationary lower stone. It is possible that the second shallower hole is a quick replacement for the more ornate hole after it broke so that the quern could carry on being used.