Flax retting driver

This wooden hand tool (1) is stamper-shaped for smoothing the top of the last bundles of flax in the retting boxes. It is a sturdy wooden board or block, about 35cm long and 20cm wide, with a flat bottom and one or two vertical handles at the top. The bundles of flax should not stick out too high in these retting boxes, which were soaked in river water.

The tool is not to be confused with a brickmaker's tool. [MOT]

(1) Proper name unknown.