The Blackdown Hills and the Whetstone Industry (Geology Section)

To be held by Zoom video conferencing

A talk by Professor John Mather.

Whetstones, used for sharpening tools, were mined in the Blackdown Hills from the 17th to the 19th century, from Uffculme in the north to Hembury in the south. The Blackdown Hills was the source of a very high-quality, durable whetstone, called the Devonshire Batt. In the days before farm mechanisation, vast numbers of these stones were used by scythe-men who typically would need to sharpen their scythes four times per hour.

Important notes

If you would like to join this meeting, please contact the Organiser (details below). You will in due course be sent instructions on how to log in etc. Please don’t worry if you are not familiar with the Zoom software. It is quite straightforward to use and does not involve any expense. You will be able to log in a few minutes before the start of the lecture.