Looked over "Mechanicks Exercises", Moxon, published 1703.  No mention of hardies or hardy tooling and the anvil illustrated does not have a hardy or pritchel hole---(he does mention the face should be hardened so a file "races" on it)

Checked the indexes in "Practical Blacksmithing", Richardson, published 1889,1890,1891, and found a reference to making a hardy by taking a triangular file and removing the ends and laying it flat on the anvil face and using it to cut stock on.  So definitely a cutting tool and was used without reference to a hole in the face of the anvil.

looks like a chain making set. if the one long one has a dip at the end.

I might be being silly, but I could see that long one being very handy hanging off the edge of the anvil, used like a smaller heel, maybe with a pritchel hold-down to keep it from popping out if necessary.  I know there have been times when I was making small hooks or tight multiple bends that I wanted the heel to be thinner and couldn't get quite what I wanted with a bick or a bridge tool.  I ended up clamping some flatbar in a vise.

6 hours ago, ksw said:

looks like a chain making set. if the one long one has a dip at the end.

No dip in the end of the long one. 

Quarry Dog, you're not being silly. That's a good idea, tho for me it would still need clamped in the vise since the hardy hole on my anvil isnt big enough for these. I also have a smaller rr track anvil that comes in handy for that as well with a smaller horn as well.