51/108

This wooden gingerbread mould is of French origin with a large figure of a lady carved on one side, and nine small figures – three military, three rural and three musicians – carved on the other. Gingerbread made in these moulds was often gilded afterwards.

1 gingerbread mould: wood

MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, circa 1951] - 'Museum of English Rural Life // Equipment to be loaned to the Cotswold Tradition Exhibition // Cat Ref. No.: // 51/108 M // [tick] Gingerbread Mould (French) [Cleaned] [tick] ...'', MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, circa 1951] - '[insert] MASSINGHAM FILE [end insert] // THE COTSWOLD TRADITION // AN EXHIBITION AT CIRENCESTER PARK // MAY-SEPTEMBER 1951 ... // RECEIPT. // Received with gratitude the following articles, collected from Reading University on the 29th April, 1951: // ...French Gingerbread Mould. ... // Loaned by The Massingham Collection.', MERL list / description [Massingham Collection, October 1989] – 'ACC. NO.: 51/108 // NAME: GINGERBREAD MOULD // NEG NO.: 35/32-33 // STORAGE: ', Although the quality of carving makes this of French origin, it is remarkably similar to English ones. Such moulds were common all over North West Europe and go back at least 300 years. Gingerbread made in these moulds was often gilded afterwards and in England was commonly sold at fairs and was thus known as FAIRINGS., Object research project, Further Afield, February 2024 – This mould was given to Massingham by a Mrs. Macaulay, who was unaware it was French.

1800-01-01 - 1899-12-31

Nineteenth century