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Bellows

82A0100

This set of wood and leather bellows was found in the hold of the Mary Rose, where they would have been used for blowing air into the galley oven fires.

The ash body sections of the bellows have built-in handles and are held together by leather that seems to have been both glued and nailed to the edges, and despite the nails having rusted away the leather is still attached. The leather is in generally good condition and is a bright red-brown colour, in contrast to most of the surviving leather from the ship, which is generally very dark brown to black.

A triangular hole in one of the two faces contains a leather valve, allowing air to move in more easily, but forcing air out through the nozzle. One of the handles has a drilled hole through which a length of cord was found, presumably to enable it to be hung from a hook.