60/707

W. G. Patterson & Sons (Manufacturer)

This drainage spade, of the 'Kilpeel' pattern, was made by W. G. Patterson & Sons of Templepatrick, Co. Antrim, circa 1945–6. It has an ash handle and a steel blade. This type of spade was used to cut drainage channels in a peat bank. This spade is part of a large collection of traditional craft products acquired from the British Council in 1960.

1 drainage spade: metal (steel); wood (ash); good condition

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, ‘General card’, ‘Spades and Peat Knives’ – ‘Peat cutting is an ancient practice now chiefly carried out in the Highland Zone of the British Isles and particularly in the so-called ‘Celtic fringes’. // Peat is cut in a series of straight or arcuate banks each of from 3 to 4 feet in depth or the equivalent of 3 or 4 knife lengths. At the base of the bank a drain is left to clear the moisture caused by this artificial lowering of the surface water table. Beyond the drain the turf is relaid, except in the very poorest areas where the turf itself is dried and burned, producing a very poor fire indeed. Banks are worked over several times depending on the depth of the peat until the land is ‘skinned’ and the bare rock is exposed. The exhaustion of peat banks has been one of the major factors in the abandonment of settlements on several islands off the west coast of Ireland. // Methods vary, but in Scotland the practice is to cut the peat in spring and stack it in small mounds to dry; it is then brought to the road or track where it dries further until it is collected by either cart, trailer or lorry in July, August and early September. At house the peat stack is constructed with great care the peats being laid on end to dry and drain. Long of conical mounds are made in different areas and some are turfed on the top as is the practice in Harris. // The ‘bringing home’ of the peats is often the occasion for a great social gathering in those areas where communal working is strong. A group of neighbours will assist each other, each family sending its representative to neighbour’s stackings. At such times a meal is provided by the house where peats have been brought home and both here and at the peat stack it is common to hear songs and stories of the oral traditional passed on or repeated. // A peat bank can be rented for as little as 2/6 per year if the cutter has no common right and by far the greatest expense is in the hiring of a lorry if this is possible. Although the men cut the peats, women do much of the carrying and loading. // See E. Estyn Evans: ‘Irish Heritage’, Ch. VIII p.113 et seq.’, MERL 'Catalogue index' card – ‘Length of spade 57 1/4”, length of blade from ‘ears’ 14”, width of blade at ‘ears’ 5 1/2”, width of cutting edge 4 1/2”. // The handle is made of ash and the blade is of steel. Kilpeel spade. // See general card, on spades and peat knives. // From: W.G. Patterson, Templepatrick, Co. Antrim, N. Ireland.’, 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, ‘Irish Spades and Peat Knives’, p.3 – ‘Over 150 different patterns of spades were made in one Galway factory alone. The examples shown owe something to English influence on the earlier long bladed Irish loys or facks. Among the many individual characteristics is the degree of cranking on the blade. // Many different methods are used to cut peat. The common practice is to cut a straight or curved bank from 3 to 4 ft. deep with a peat knife.’, MERL ‘Country Craftsmanship’ Exhibition Catalogue, 2 May–31 October 1961, p.3 – '3. Kilpeel Spade // (Items 1 - 7 by W.G. Patterson, Templepatrick, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland.)', British Council Ref. No. Not known.

Templepatrick

1945 - 1946

Wood, ash, Metal, steel