Page:County Churches of Cornwall.djvu/63

 INTRODUCTION 4i occur on the bench-ends of St. Austell, and one at St. Columb Major. A one-sided spade with an agricultural basket appears on a bench-end at Kilkhampton. It is generally supposed that carv- ings of this description were presented to the Blacksmith's Tools, Bench-end, St. Ives church by those who used the tool or implement in question ; but it is much more interesting to believe that they were intended to show the consecration of varied forms of labour and trade, being thus analogous to the remarkable Cornish wall-paintings of Christ blessing the Trades. 1 1 See the Reliquary, N.S., vol. ii. 161-171 ; vol. v. 42-45.