60/481

Fred Mizen (Maker)

Corn dollies are believed to originally have had religious significance but by the twentieth century were made as ornaments for use in harvest festivals. They are made from the stalks of cereal crops, and the spiral form results from the method of plaiting five straws. This dolly, made by Fred Mizen of Great Bardfield, Essex, in 1949, consists of a long bundle of straw with a twisted and plaited covering, which is shaped like a shepherd’s crook. Each end is tied with blue ribbon. The dolly is part of a large collection of traditional craft products acquired from the British Council in 1960.

1 dolly: straw, ribbon

MERL miscellaneous note, B. L. 22 March 1961 – ‘The British Council collection. // This collection of material which is covered by the accession numbers 60/430 to 60/791 contains examples of craft products made in the British Isles. The major part of the collection was prepared immediately after the Second World War for a travelling exhibition which was sent to Australia and New Zealand. // The collection was purchased for a nominal sum by the Museum in two portions, the one in the summer of 1960 and the other in February 1961. // For further details see the individual catalogue cards and the catalogue prepared for the temporary exhibition of the collection.’, MERL 'Catalogue index' card – ‘This plaited straw crook is a popular design for the remaining makers of straw dollies. The example shown here is 52 in. long. At the end of the wing of the crook there is a bow of blue ribbon whilst at the opposite end the small loop is also tied in blue ribbon. // Made by: Fred Mizen, Great Bardfield, Essex. // See also Dolly 51/206M and Dolly 51/207M under Crafts – Straw (Catalogue Cards)., MERL ‘Country Craftsmanship’ Exhibition Catalogue, 2 May–31 October 1961, ‘Introductory Note’ by Andrew Jewell – ‘The objects shown in this Exhibition of Country Craftsmanship were originally purchased by the British Council in 1946. They were selected for exhibition in Australia and New Zealand as samples of traditional handcrafts which were then being practised in the British countryside. The Museum of English Rural Life was fortunate to acquire this valuable collection from the Council and to have the opportunity of displaying such a wide variety of skills. // Almost all the crafts shown are still to be found in this country although, in the intervening fifteen years, many of the small firms and individual craftsmen whose products are represented in the Exhibition, have given up working. The number who now remain to carry on these particular traditional crafts continues to decline with the growth of mechanization, the obsolescence of their products and the difficult of finding apprentices to follow them. // All the objects on display have one characteristic in common – they were made to be used. Any aesthetic qualities which the craftsman achieved grew without self-consciousness. Over long years of apprenticeship the craftsman developed an intimate knowledge of the raw material at his disposal and its peculiarities. He acquired by inheritance the methods of his craft which may have had a continuous tradition over centuries of time. And he was quite familiar with the way in which his product was to be used. // We can derive pleasure simply by looking at the shapes and decorations. Both, however, are inseparable from function and environment, and the objects can only be most fully appreciated by an understanding of the purpose for which each was intended. // This, then, is an exhibition of everyday things, made by men and women who might not think of themselves as artists, but whose work, nevertheless, has enriched the daily life of those who live with their products.’, MERL ‘Country Craftsmanship’ Exhibition Catalogue, 2 May–31 October 1961, p.12 – ’115–122. Corn Dollies are associated with the survival of fertility rites such as ‘Crying the neck’ in the South West of England. They are now made after harvest for decoration at the church festival or in the home. The spiral form results from plaiting five straws. // (Items 115–20 by Fred Mizen, Great Bardfield, Essex; items 121–2 by Sid Boatman, Debden, Essex.)', British Council Ref. No. 284.

Great Bardfield

1949 - 1949

Plant fibre, straw, Fibre