Why do some have three legs and others four?

Three legs naturally find balance on uneven ground. Barns and milking parlours historically had rough stone or dirt floors where a four-legged chair rocks and tips. Four legs do appear on some antique milking stools. You mostly find them in regions where dairies updated to flat brick or concrete floors earlier on.

My grandmother always had one of these by her fireplace to rest her feet on, were they actually sold for sitting by the fire?

Most started life out in the dairy or barn. They provided a low seat for working rather than domestic comfort. People often brought them indoors once they retired from farm work. A low, stable seat works well by a hearth for resting feet or tending a fire. This transition explains why so many survive today in domestic settings.

What is the hole in the seat for?

That hole acts as a carrying handle. Farm workers needed to pick the seat up with one hand while carrying buckets or managing animals with the other. It also lets you hang the piece on a peg. Keeping it off the damp floor extends the life of the timber considerably.

I noticed the wood on the top part of the seat is split near where the legs come through, is that normal for these?

Wood shrinks across the grain over time. As the thick plank seat dries out, it puts pressure around the circular leg joints and creates minor splits. The makers anticipated this movement. Wedging the tenons from the top forces the joint outwards. Even when the seat board splits slightly around it, the leg usually remains secure.

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Antique Milking Stools

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A low, robust piece of seating with three or four splayed legs wedged into a thick plank seat, designed to keep a dairy worker close to the ground while working with cows.