93/90

A machine-made, coat-style, cream-coloured linen smock with a collar and two pockets. It has seven buttonholes down the front and one on each cuff, although only three of the original linen buttons remain. It has machine stitched tucks to control the fullness as opposed to smocked areas, with single rows of featherstitched bordering the tucks, yoke and collar. The smock belonged to the donor’s grandfather, a Wiltshire solicitor who it was assumed wore the smock for tasks about the home when living in Kingston St. Michael, Wiltshire, before 1914.

1 smock: linen; fair condition- worn and stained

Citation in publication [Oliver, Tina, 'Smocks: A Guide to the Collections' (Reading: The University of Reading, 2000)] – ‘This is a machine made linen smock of the coat type, and from appearance well worn. The donor’s aunt recalled her father wearing the smock around 1914 when living in Wiltshire. The donor suggests that it would not have been worn in the course of his occupation – he was a solicitor – but for tasks about the home. The smock has machine stitched tucks to control the fullness as opposed to smocked areas, with single rows of featherstitched bordering the tucks, yoke and collar.’ (p.30), Letter, Jill Betts to Simon Awdry, 2 February 1994 - 'Dear Mr Audry, // I am writing on behalf of the Museum of English Rural Life to thank you for donating the very interesting smock to us. // It is a valuable addition to our smock collection and has been accessioned with the number 93/90. // Yours sincerely, // Mrs J M Betts', Letter, David Eveleigh to Simon Awdry, 13 September 1993 - 'Dear Mr. Awdry, // Thank you for your letter of 4th September and the information about the smock; this is very useful and adds greatly to the value of the smock. // I will be taking the smock over to the Museum of English Rural Life at Reading University, later this autumn. // Yours Sincerely, // David Eveleigh.', Letter, Simon Awdry to David Eveleigh, 4 September 1993 - 'Dear Mr. Eveleigh, // Thank you for your letter to mjc dated 18 August, about the smock belonging to my aunt, Mrs. M. D. Oldridge. // My aunt, who has just died in her 89th year, told me that she remembered the smock being worn by her father, J. W. (Jack) Awdry when she was a child. She was born in 1905 and this would have been before 1914, when they were living in Kingston St. Michael, in Wiltshire. // My grandfather was then working as a solicitor in Chippenham, and I assume there were some taks at home to do with animals or haymaking, for which he used to wear the smock. He was a Wiltshireman, so I assume that the smock originates from that county. // The other clothes in the tin trunk belonged to my grandmother or my great grandmother, and have been kept by my aunt. I assume that the smock was with my grandmother's belongings when she moved back to Dursley in Gloucestershire during the Great War. // Not perhaps a truly rural, or at any rate rustic, garment, but I hope it will be interesting to your friend at Reading. // Yours sincerely // Simon Awdry', MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – 'Standard museum name: SMOCK // Accession number: 93/90 // Classification: PERSONAL clothing garment // Negative number: 60/16147 + 8 // Acquisition method: GIFT // Condition: Fair, worn and stained // Recorder: JMB // Date: 14.12.93 // Description: Coat style cream linen smock with a collar and two pockets. 7 button holes down the front and one on each cuff. Three original linen buttons remain. The smock is tucked at the front, the back and at the cuffs. Lines of feather stitching at front, back, on yoke and collar. One small patch on the left sleeve and one on the right pocket. // Dimensions: Length: 108 cm // Associated information: See attached letter: // The donor’s aunt remembers her father wearing the smock in the early years of the C 20th in Kingston St. Michael, Wiltshire.’

Wiltshire

1890-01-01 - 1890-01-01

Fibre, flax, Fibre, Fibre, flax

Smocked, Stitched, Embroidered