Penknife

A penknife was recovered from within the location of the former hostel. The penknife was 8cm in length and 1cm wide when closed. It was made up of a mother of pearl handle and a corroded steel blade (or blades). Unfortunately, it was not possible to open the knife due to extreme corrosion. Three rivets were present on the handle, these had punched through the handle and blade(s) to hold the various elements in place. It is likely that this was used as a fruit knife. Through comparative research into the style and type of the knife, it is likely that it dates between the late 19th to mid-20th century and could conceivably have belonged to one of the surviving children.