An exciting antiquity of archaeological interest was found by road-menders in St.Martin’s lane, Lincoln. It was part of a quern – a handmill used to grind corn as long ago as Saxon times.
“In reducing to a level the high-crowned road of St. Martin’s lane, the work men have discovered a portion of a domestic utensil of very high antiquity – the quern or handmill which in bygone ages was an indispensible requisite to the household gear. It is the upper stone of the primitive mill which has been found: unfortunately it is broken into five pieces, but all the pieces have been found. It is circular, and about a foot in diameter. At the edges are four square holes answering to the cardinal points (so to speak), so that two cross lines drawn from these points would form four right angles in the centre. In these holes perpendicular rods of iron were undoubtedly fastened, and these terminated in two cross wooden shafts, whose four arms formed the leverage of this simple adaptation of mechanical skill to the necessities of life. The centre shaft would of course be fixed in the bottom stone, and would terminate in the centre of the cross handles to keep the upper stone steady. This upper stone has a raised circular ridge on the upper surface, to keep the corn from sliding off; and from this ridge there is a fall to the centre, to let down the corn : the under surface is concave; consequently the upper surface of the under stone would be convex, and so the meal would gradually be forced outward, and would fall into a receiver beneath. The grit of the stone is very peculiar: its like is to be found in none of the Lincoln strata; and it had evidently been selected for the peculiar pupose to which is was devoted on account of its alternation of hard particles and cellular spaces, as a surface of the kind now obtained by chipping. That this simple relic of an age long preceding the age of steam-mills belongs to the Saxon period, there can be little hesitation in believing : St. Martin’s church, close by which it was found, is reported to occupy the site of one of the earliest temples of christianity. The Pembroke library once contained a curious medal, with an inscription purporting that it was struck by the prepositus ox chief magistrate of the Saxon city, in honour of the tutelar saint (Martin), to whom was dedicated one of the principal churches : this church remained in the Royal patronage till the Conqueror granted it to Remigius. St. Martini’s is still parcel of the cathedral. Upon the re-building of the Saxon church, the site would not be likely to be lowered, and therefore it is justifiable to assume that this ancient quern had been buried since the days of our Saxon forefathers.”
The Stamford Mercury, 17th September, 1847.