I got this picture along with a whole lot of other pictures and information form James Bayne. He is a retired engineer and now a historical enthusiast. He found this toolbox collection on what is possibly the Battle of Bannock Burn site. This battle took place almost 700 years ago in Scotland .

Quite an amazing find and there are many other things that go along with this collection including the parts of a Genoese Crossbow.

Technically we probably should call this a Farrier's Toolbox but historically there was often very little difference between a blacksmith and a Farrier. Nowadays Farriers specifically care for horses and blacksmiths are more rounded in working with metals.

About the Horse Shoe:

As you can see it still has a nail attached to it , the long black unused nail came from the farriers tool box i found a year previously and 100 yds down stream, as each farrier hand made his own shoes and nails. And each English Knight would have brought his own farrier.

Did the farrier shoe this horse on the evening of the 23rd June 1314 as there is absolutely no wear on the shoe and was probably removed from a dead English horse after the battle. There was a slip, probably followed by the words F-CK it in old Scots and the shoe fell into the then burn. The burn then is now banking (for the present) as the river has "grand canyon ed" deepened by at least 8ft though still only 18-24ins deep.

James also found ten parts to a Genoese Crossbow on the BannockBurn site. He used those parts to reconstruct an actual working crossbow. Quite an amazing feat. You can see those pictures and read about the find on my other website here: The Bannock Burn Crossbow

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