Thread: History of the "Magog Oilstone"

The magog was also described beeing greyish-white and yellowish-brown as far as i remember Martin103s post...on page 1

Thanks for your input guys, I am sure I have seen either a blog or site of your Doorsch, looks like you have compiled a great deal of information on a wide variety of stones, I plan on getting back to take advantage of your hard work.
Martin103, I have another one of them stones , shame about the label, I got it in its current condition, I have never wet the stone as I did not want to damage the label further, now I have found another, I am able to make out some of the extra information, although, it would appear this next stone is advertised as another variety.
I hope the pics are ok.




small white stone is a very hard noviculite, the green stone is a local slate, I hope they are of some interest, thanks again for your time.

Steve, have you listed another one of those with complete label ?

Yes Sebastian, it is on previous page of this thread, page 4, I have also included more pics in a folder i have created for public viewing, if you want more pics please just ask, fingers crossed some one can tell me more about the manufacturer,

T H & co HO & GM, another member was good enough to point out the
Victoria & Albert portrait, maybe common wealth at that time (Canada).
I would like to see a complete version of the one in bits, looks like there is quite a bit more to it.
Albert had died by 1861 if that helps any further,
Victoria was Monarch from 1841 to 1901

Originally Posted by SteveAk

Yes Sebastian, it is on previous page of this thread, page 4, I have also included more pics in a folder i have created for public viewing, if you want more pics please just ask, fingers crossed some one can tell me more about the manufacturer,

T H & co HO & GM, another member was good enough to point out the
Victoria & Albert portrait, maybe common wealth at that time (Canada).
I would like to see a complete version of the one in bits, looks like there is quite a bit more to it.
Albert had died by 1861 if that helps any further,
Victoria was Monarch from 1841 to 1901

Iam not sure, the other stone ive seen had the same Shortcuts and portraits...

It was named "yellow River Oilstone" and had written down "British Product". So my theory is as it has been with other hones that these shortcuts mostly appear on the British Market....

I think that the shortcuts might stand for some British Tool Manufacturers like for Planes, etc...probably some well known Names from Sheffield...thats just a Theory...

It also show a grinding wheel and has written LONDON in one Corner...

I thought it was your listing, but it was someone else, here the full label ;-)

cool looking label, I have just met a guy who works as a geologist for a living, sad thing is he is rather set in his ways, he travels round the UK mines / quarries looking for business for the company he works for.
I have not had chance to show him this yet, but if he can not tell me, then I am due to go to the museum at Sheffield this summer , over the next week I will be walking through the Cumbrian fells, looking to see if Stone age man has left any half worked axes left high on the fells, I would like to sample the same stone as a hone, it is classes as a Horne stone, being exceptionally hard, it is made metamorphic rock veins that have been exposed through the slate beds, fingers crossed I get lucky, if we don't get an update before then, I will have to get along to see him , well, at least I know it is not a magog, having said that, we don't have any Noviculite here in the UK, lots of chert, but none so far up to scratch for an industrial output

You would be surprised to hear but there is quite a bit of novaculite in UK and also is used for hones.

Hi Adrspach, thanks for the input, I am aware of the masses of chert we have, I had tried to qualify my statement, I was not aware of any company quarrying Noviculite in the UK on a commercial scale, I would be very interested in any further info you have.
All the best steve

There is a plenty of information on novaculite hones from UK here on this forum such as about CF or LI. There are also other bits about possible location of Arkie type hone quaried somewhere on Lleyn peninsula.
if you prefer different sources of information you can check Henk's online book or Brian Read's book.