Record ID: YORYM-3825F8
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: North Yorkshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An incomplete whetstone or hone of unknown date. The stone is rectangular in plan and cross-section. One end is rounded with a slightly off-centre circular suspension hole 10.14 mm from the edge. The other end is missing, with a rough worn and uneven break. The other surfaces are smooth, although there are some deep cut marks near the break. Whetstones such as this were probably used for re-sharpening blades of knives, scythes, axes and other tools. Whetstones are known from the Roman period onwards, however without decoration or context it is difficult to assign a defined date r…
Created on: Thursday 4th February 2016
Last updated: Thursday 11th February 2016
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: ESS-353D68
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A whetstone of uncertain date. The object is rectangular in plan and square in section. There are two grooves running down the centre of two opposing sides. The stone is a mid-light grey and slightly irregularly shaped due to wear. Whetstones are incredibly difficult to date and were used throughout history to sharpen metal tools, coming in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Dimensions: length: 90.62 mm; width: 37.54 mm; weight: 190.66g.
Created on: Thursday 4th February 2016
Last updated: Monday 17th October 2022
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: PUBLIC-62D936
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An incomplete stone whetstone of uncertain date. The stone is oval in cross section and rectangular in plan with worn breaks at both terminals. The surface is scarred with small scratches along the length of the whetstone, possibly being evidence of usage. The stone is a mottled grey-brown in colour, with fine micaceous inclusions. The length is 86.11mm, the width is 29.15mm, the height is 14.94mm and it weighs 76.49g.
Created on: Wednesday 13th January 2016
Last updated: Tuesday 26th January 2016
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LIN-3D5C6E
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
County: Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Published
A complete Early Medieval whetstone, dating to the period c. AD 410-1066. The whetstone is rectangular in cross section, and broadly rectangular in plan. It tapers to a rounded terminal at its apex, and a circular perforation measuring 5mm is present towards this end. This aperture contains a brown-red substance which possibly forms the remains of a means of attachment. The butt end has rounded corners and evidence of wear is present in the form of areas of abrasion which have a brown patination. This wear does not however seem consistant with its intended use. Further areas of damage…
Created on: Monday 11th January 2016
Last updated: Friday 18th May 2018
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'East Lindsey', grid reference and parish protected.

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Record ID: NMS-444A56
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Incomplete, probably medieval hone stone, with one end missing. The thickness and width are greatest near the complete end where the cross-section is a parallelogram (38 x 29mm). At the broken end the cross-section is sub-rectangular (29 x 20mm). The material is micaceous and pale grey. Length 126mm. 12th - 15th century.
Created on: Friday 18th December 2015
Last updated: Friday 18th December 2015
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: PUBLIC-848D45
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: East Riding of Yorkshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A fine grained, dark grey, oval-ended sandstone, broken at one end, used as a whetstone. A cone shaped stone with 3 sides having flat surfaces that have been smoothed by wear, and show evidence of being used for sharpening blades. The back is slightly concave and rougher. The improvised use of various stones from glacial drift for sharpening or rubbing stones is characteristic of the Roman and early Medieval periods until the Viking Age, when Scandinavian stones from the Telemark region became widely available. Suggested date: Unknown, Roman to early Medieval, 43 - 850. The known hist…
Created on: Wednesday 9th December 2015
Last updated: Tuesday 9th August 2016
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NLM-DD2078
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Grey stone, probably Norwegian Schist. Whetstone fragment. Rectangular section fragment from a hone of imported Telemark Schist. Towards one end the object is broken across a hole of an hourglass form showing it was drilled from both sides. The hone narrows from its perforated upper end because of wear, and its longer narrow side is also lightly dished from use. Broken at both ends. The drilling of hones for suspended wear was characteristic of 'phyllite' hones of the later Anglo-Scandinavian period, though it was extended to the smaller Norwegian schist hones, made of a material whic…
Created on: Thursday 19th November 2015
Last updated: Thursday 19th November 2015
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Swinhope', grid reference and parish protected.

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Record ID: NMS-89F91B
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Incomplete medieval to post-medieval honestone of very hard, fine-grained, pinkish grey micaceous sandstone. At the break the cross-section is trapezoidal, 42 x 19-23mm, and at the end it is rectangular, 64 x 43mm. Three faces are gently concave. The fourth face, a narrow one, is flat but scoured by two deep V-section sharpening grooves which run the full length. There are two shallower grooves on the end. Extant length 79mm. 12th - 17th century.
Created on: Tuesday 3rd November 2015
Last updated: Thursday 7th July 2016
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: CORN-89FC47
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: IRON AGE
County: Cornwall
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Incomplete whetstone for sharpening metal tools or flensing tool for cleaning hides with both ends broken off, engraved with a lobe and circle pattern on one face that is comparable to the decoration seen on Iron Age metalwork. There is also the beginnings of this pattern with S-shaped scrolls on the opposite flat face of the whetstone. This decoration is under, and therefore earlier than, one set of parallel linear grooves on the side edge of the whetstone, that consist of three shorter, wider lines, 5-6 mm in length and 2-3 mm in width, followed by another nine lines, 8 mm in length…
Created on: Thursday 22nd October 2015
Last updated: Monday 27th April 2020
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: YORYM-3DBD35
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: East Riding of Yorkshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An incomplete and worn stone object, probably a whetstone or hone of uncertain date. The object is formed from a finely grained dark reddish-grey stone, with a square section and sub-rectangular form with breaks to either end. Cut marks and wear are present over all surfaces. The object is 65.7mm long, 32.7mm wide, 31.1mm thick and weighs 126g. While it is extremely difficult to date whetstones accurately without any supporting contextual evidence the area in which this object was found displays a high degree of Early-Medieval activity and is therefore likely to date to this period.
Created on: Tuesday 6th October 2015
Last updated: Wednesday 7th October 2015
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: YORYM-3DAA6C
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: East Riding of Yorkshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An incomplete and worn stone object, probably a whetstone or hone of uncertain date. The object is formed from a finely grained dark grey stone, with an ovate section and sub-rectangular form with breaks to either end. Cut marks are present over both surfaces. The object is 70.3mm long, 31.1mm wide, 14.1mm thick and weighs 51.1g. While it is extremely difficult to date whetstones accurately without any supporting contextual evidence the area in which this object was found displays a high degree of Early-Medieval activity and is therefore likely to date to this period.
Created on: Tuesday 6th October 2015
Last updated: Wednesday 7th October 2015
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: YORYM-3D9AFA
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: East Riding of Yorkshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An incomplete and worn stone object, probably a whetstone or hone of uncertain date. The object is formed from a finely grained dark grey stone, with a triangular section and sub-rectangular in form with one rounded terminal and a break to the opposite end. One surface is very smooth while another has been obscured by the addition of a white paint-like substance by the finder. The base is rough with a slight curve. The object is 40.4mm long, 21.3mm wide, 17.5mm thick and weighs 25.9g. While it is extremely difficult to date whetstones accurately without any supporting contextua…
Created on: Tuesday 6th October 2015
Last updated: Wednesday 7th October 2015
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NLM-4437B0
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Published
Sandstone whetstone fragment. Very slightly tapered cylindrical stone object, flat at its broader end and broken at the other. The sides are lightly dished and facetted by wear. The use of various stones for sharpening, either commercially imported or, more usually in this region, collected from local drift deposits, was especially characteristic of the Romano-British and Anglo-Saxon periods. Contact with Scandinavia introduced phyllite and schist hones which would dominate the market for hone stones until the later Middle Ages. Suggested date: Unknown, Roman to Early Medieval, 43-850…
Created on: Wednesday 19th August 2015
Last updated: Wednesday 23rd September 2015
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Swinhope', grid reference and parish protected.

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Record ID: NMS-8D3563
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Incomplete honestone undated but probably ancient, one end missing, of rectangular cross-section tapering slightly to sub-triangular terminal. There is a drilled perforation at the broken end, with a slightlblind hole on one face near the edge where the position has been adjusted. The unidentified stone is very smooth, fine-grained and dark grey/black. Extant length 57mm. Width 10mm. Thickness 8mm. Weight 10.02g.
Created on: Friday 17th July 2015
Last updated: Friday 17th July 2015
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Hilborough', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: NLM-776B49
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Fine grained dense grey stone, possible rubber or whetstone. Flat-sided oval ended river-washed pebble; one end chipped. The surface is possibly smoothed by wear overall. The form is probably natural and the stone derived from glacial drift. This might have been used as an improvised polisher for organic materials, including textiles, or alternatively as a whetstone. The use of adventitiously recovered stones for such functions is especially characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon period, sandwiched as it is between eras characterised by more systematic exploitation and marketing of stones …
Created on: Thursday 16th July 2015
Last updated: Thursday 16th July 2015
No spatial data available.

Record ID: NLM-E99F66
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: ROMAN
County: Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Fine grained Sandstone possible whetstone. Trapezoid straight-sided object of rectangular section, chipped at both ends and thickest at its wider end. The fine grained stone would lend itself to use as an improvised sharpener, and such mediocre honestones are most commonly reported from Roman contexts, though were also used before and after. Some doubt may be introduced by the tendency of some sedimentary stones to split neatly along bedding planes, as well as by other natural processes such as Aeolian sand-blasting, and by the lack of dishing from wear. Suggested date: Roman, 43-410.…
Created on: Monday 15th June 2015
Last updated: Monday 15th June 2015
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Binbrook', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: LEIC-6CEBF8
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: Leicestershire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Undated decorative whetsone, 97mm long, 30mm wide, 15mm thick and weighing 82.31grams. The object is rectangular in form and cross section, with rounded edges and has a distinct green/black marbled surface. It has been heavily worn along its centre on both sides.
Created on: Tuesday 9th June 2015
Last updated: Tuesday 9th June 2015
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LIN-DAB33E
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
County: Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Published
A possible Middle Saxon object whetstone. The object is smaller than most whetstones, perhaps indicating it was used for fine working of objects. It is rectangular in section with a facet on all corners. It is broken at the thicker end, but tapers to a point at the terminal. Fine diagonal grooves are visible along both of the side faces but not the upper and lower faces, nor the facets.
Created on: Thursday 21st May 2015
Last updated: Wednesday 23rd September 2015
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'East Lindsey', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: KENT-CCE2E7
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Kent
Workflow stage: Published
An Early Medieval or Medieval Whetstone or hone. The stone is sub rectangular, narrowing slightly towards each end. One end is complete with rounded corners, the other ends in an old break. In section it has straight sides and slighty convex faces. It thickens slightly towards the complete end before thinning to a rounded edge. At the complete end there is a circular perforation for suspension. the hole is hour glass shaped having been drilled from both sides and is 4.1mm in diameter in the centre. The stone is fine grained, grey to slightly grey green in colour and appears to have fi…
Created on: Friday 8th May 2015
Last updated: Wednesday 23rd September 2015
No spatial data available.

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Record ID: NMS-0D13F7
Object type: WHETSTONE
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Incomplete whetstone of sub-rectangular cross-section, both ends broken, of highly micaceous fine grained grey stone. Width 35 - 29mm. Thickness 10.5 - 8mm. Extant length 47mm. There are engraved grooves on both broad faces. Probably Late Saxon or medieval.
Created on: Friday 17th April 2015
Last updated: Friday 17th April 2015
Spatial data recorded.