Pair of copper-alloy tweezers

Brent 1866, 180-2: I am inclined to think it a misnomer to call these \tweezers'' by that name. I cannot but believe them to have been used for sewing purposes and to form in fact a complement to those collections of pins bodkins and scissors which found as they are with decayed wood attached to bronze and iron plating and with the bolts of small locks seem to have been stored in the work-boxes of Saxon ladies. Of the many pins and bodkins in bronze and ivory found at Sarr one or two had slight indentations round the head but apparently for ornament only and none were pierced through; indeed were they pierced the large size of the head would render them useless for sewing. They were more probably used to puncture the work after which the tweezers would take the thread and draw it through ; for needles are almost unknown in our Kentish Saxon graves. The tweezers from Grave LXXXVI (absurdly large if really tweezers with our modern use) were found in a man's grave and probably served in this way for his coarser work in leather hides or canvas.[1][1]I append by permission an interesting letter from M. Herbst Deputy Keeper of the Museum of Northern Antiquities at Copenhagen. Professor Stephens from whom I was seeking information respecting the antiquities of a people kindred to our own Jutish population applied to M. Herbst who kindly communicated the following valuable details:My dear Professor StephensIn consequence of a letter from Mr. Brent at Canterbury you have asked my opinion of the original use of the 'SYLE' (awls)