jan 1, 1587 - axle-nail

Description:

One of the two nails or pins used to fasten a cart to the axle-tree (OED). It is uncertain in particular cases what these nails were made of, iron or wood, but iron seems more likely: 1485 <i>ij axilnayles iiijd;</i> Ripon (SS64/373); 1587 <i>3 teames an axe axelnaile, 3 peire of croukes</i>, South Cave (Kaner145). I suspect that <i>apiltone</i> in the following example is a misreading of axiltree: 1558 <i>two apiltone nayles of iron</i>, Castleford (Th27/287).

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