Why we use the Billhook

The Billhook is a tool used for over a thousand years by British and Irish workers to cultivate the land, and the designs varied from region to region. They were still being mass produced during WWII and even as late as 2022, were hand forged in Sheffield.

They were also used as weapons of war. A peasant would always have a billhook to hand and in times of war, a hook attached to a long pole made a fearsome weapon. Whether beheading a bishop during the Peasants Revolt, bringing down a knight from his high horse or expropriating a landlord during the Irish Uprising, the Billhook has been a symbol of resistance.

We at the project know of the power of the worker, the power of industry and the power that we have together as a class. The ruling class know this too: they need our ability to work, to produce, to create, but they fear our ability to take them down.

That is why we use the Billhook.