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Alec Coker (Maker)

This corn dolly is in the form of the Ceres, the goddess of the harvest, who was thought to give live to the corn and to die when it was harvested. For this reason, her image was woven from the last sheaf to be reaped. This dolly consists of a large, full sheaf of corn tied to form the figure of a lady with clasped hands. Plaited bands around the arms, waist and neck give the figure its shape, and the head is formed form a full bunch of corn ears. It was made by Alec Coker.

1 corn dollies: straw; good condition

MERL miscellaneous note Greta Bertram, 20 August 2013 – The 'Coker Collection' of corn dollies was bequeathed to the Museum by Alec Coker, who devoted his retirement from 1965 until his death in 1986 to spreading knowledge of and teaching the craft of corn dolly making. He first became interested in the craft when working at the BBC when he encountered dollies as props on the set of ‘Lorna Doone’ in the 1930s. ‘Corn’ is a term for the family of grains which includes barley, oats, wheat and rye. ‘Corn dolly’ is a wide-ranging term which includes figures, love tokens, crosses, Scandinavian star designs, and Far Eastern shrine dolls made from ‘corn’ straw. Techniques used in the craft include tying, plaiting, weaving and marquetry. The corn dolly was originally an object used in rites and rituals, and in many parts of the world it was believed that the ‘Corn Goddess’ lived in the crop and died when it was harvested. Images of the Goddess, or other talismans, were woven from the last sheaf to be reaped and carefully preserved to ensure an abundant crop the following year. By the twentieth century, corn dollies had lost their ritual associations, and from the 1950s there was a concerted effort to preserve the craft of corn dolly making., MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – ‘Description: The Goddess Ceres // A large full sheaf of corn is tied to form a figure of a lady with clasped hands. Plaited bands around the arms, waist and neck show the shape of the figure. The head is a full bunch of corn ears. // Dimensions: 90cm x 28cm // Associated information: From Egyptian times it was the corn goddess who was the prototype for all the symbolic corn dollies made. She was worshipped as the protector of the growing crop as well as the living and spirits of the dead. She was thought to give life to the corn and to die when it was harvested. Her image was woven from the last sheaf to be reaped. // This example was made by Alec Coker. // References: A. Coker. The Craft of Straw Decoration p.61 // S. Charlton. Strawcraft and Corn Dollies p.7–12’