51/9

Pottle,

This fruit basket, known as a 'pottle', was worn round the waist by women when picking and marketing strawberries and raspberries. A woman would hang a dozen or more on a string round her waist and fill the ones at the front, pushing them to the back as they became full. Full pottles were loaded into a basket called a 'marne' and this was carried on a woman's head to London. The pottles were not returnable. The man from whom the donor acquired this pottle was (at the time of acquisition) almost 100 years old, and could just remember pottles being in everyday use.

1 basket: split willow; dark brown

Bichard, Maurice, ‘Baskets in Europe’, p.80 – Pottles date from at least the mid-16th century, and in 1849 it was reported that 600,000 pottles of strawberries were sold from three produce markets in three months., MERL 'Catalogue of baskets' form – 'NAME: POTTLE // Acc. No.: 51/9 & 51/10 // Group: MARKETING. Fruit // Neg. no.: 35/39 // Place of origin: Sunbury. Middlesex // Period in use: Prior to 1850 // DESCRIPTION // Materials: Wood/willow. Split willow, probably pollard. Place of origin – from Mr. W. Townshend, Spelthorne Farm, Sunbury // Shape and construction: The shape of a hood or poke made of chip with a single chip handle over the top. 4 leagues, no waling. Randing with 1/4” – 5/16” chips. Leagues a little wider and thicker // Dimensions: Height: 11” Diam. top: 3 1/4” Diam. bottom: 1” // Use: For picking & marketing strawberries & raspberries. Said to be hung round the waist when picking. When full, loaded into a large basket called a Marne* & carried on a woman’s head to London. Not returnable. // Dialect names: // Distribution: // Additional notes: *see S.G.1,2,3 W.C.7. T.C. 17 & W.S.5’

1860

Wright, Dorothy (Recorder)