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Old grinding stone


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I uncovered what appears to be a very old millstone during the renovation on my house in the Charente Maritime. The bedstone weighs over half a ton and the round top stone is about 60cm in diameter and weighs about 50kg. I believe these are called Quern stones but I can't seem to find much on the internet regarding this old atefact. I have a picture but do not know how to post it on the forum. I could email the picture to anyone kind enough to load it to this thread. Is anyone knowledgeable on these stones or has anyone else found one on their  property? 
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E-mail away, Devon!

One of the places I lived when I was little was the millstone grit area of North Yorkshire.  There, it was quite common for the old griding stones to be used for village signs.  I don't know if this is still the case as it's years since I've been back.

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Many Thank's Cooprlola, I have emailed you 3 pictures: the stone and top, a picture of the top which shows some fossils in the stone (Ammonites I think) and a picture of the stones as a feature on my terrace which I put down on Wednesday [:)]
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Wow Devon!  Those look seriously old!

I have visited a few working windmills, and the stones I have seen are much more regular, with top and bottom stones of equal size.  But I suppose the basic technique would be the same.  The off-centre hole in the top stone would presumably be for pouring the grain through while the top stone is turning on the other one, and the little channel in the bottom stone would be to evacuate the resulting flour.

Angela

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[quote user="Loiseau"]

Wow Devon!  Those look seriously old!

I have visited a few working windmills, and the stones I have seen are much more regular, with top and bottom stones of equal size.  But I suppose the basic technique would be the same.  The off-centre hole in the top stone would presumably be for pouring the grain through while the top stone is turning on the other one, and the little channel in the bottom stone would be to evacuate the resulting flour.

Angela

[/quote]

 

I think the centre and off centre hole would have been for a wooden handle to rotate the running stone. I found the stone under a bank when I removed some trees from the ruin.  It looks to be carved from the local stone. From the little I have found on google, the stone could be from Roman times but I wonder how the iron pin in the top of the bed stone has lasted so well if it is that ancient? I am near Crazanne which used to be famous all over Europe for the stone quarried there: it might be a local stone mason carved this as a present for his family a couple of hundred years back [:D] The large size of the thing would mean it was made for grinding  large amounts of grain. I am guessing a  family house would manage with a much smaller set up.

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[quote user="Hoddy"]It looks seriously old to me too. Could you say how big it is please. Hoddy[/quote]

 

The slabs in the first picture Cooperlola kindly posted for me are 40cm square so the stone is about 120cm by 70cm by about 60cm high. I estimate the weight to be around 500kg so its a big old lump.

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