83/40

This shopping basket, for general use, was made by Gypsies in the Ashdown Forest, East Sussex, in the 1930s. It is a frame basket, with two hoops – one making the rim and the other the handle – joined with a God’s eye weaving on each side. The basket is oval in shape with squared-off corners – although one end is rounder than the other, indicating the basket was not made on a former – and has a flat bottom. The basket appears to made from willow.

1 basket: wood (possibly willow)

MERL ‘Stakeholders’ recording form, December 2013 – Object number: 83/40 // Name of recorder: Mary Butcher and Maggie Smith // General construction method: Stake and strand – frame basket. // Overall shape: Oval top, with squarish corners on the top rim. Flat bottom. Looking down, shape different at both ends so done by hand, not using a former. One end more rounded. // Materials: Birch doesn’t split like this and hazel doesn’t split without spiral. Other baskets bought in Kent in the 1970s were split willow (4 of them). // Construction: Handle of shaved thicker material, right angle bends as end turns to form the centre of the base. Held with nails. The overlap goes right across base. Two hoops – handle and top rim, plus 12 ribs, 6 each side, of varying widths, all shaved. The 3rd rib down on each side is narrower. Rim has flat top edge. Handle shaved to the thinnest at edges, and shaped to be squarish. Junction of 2 hoops held with binding similar to God’s Eye. Lashing/God’s eye – starts with short end held by the binding, finishes with long end going down beside handle and is woven with it to be held by the weavers. No packing. Ribs – handle and 1 either side have right-angled bends to make them square, the others are more curved. All are pointed at ends and chamfered at sides. Handle outside rim. 16cm overlap in rim on one side only, at handle position. Nailed onto handle at both sides. Ribs are very pointed and put into binding all at once. Ribs inserted on outside of eye. Finer, narrowing weaving material is over 2 ribs under 2 ribs wherever possible for 3 rows, then over 1 under 1 for the rest. Occasional full turns round the rim between rows. Weavers overlapped, sometimes for 1 stroke, sometimes 2 ribs, sometimes chamfered. Profile – vertical sides at handle, vertical from top down to 1st rib from top, then starts to curve in slowly. Ribs next to centre base horizontal. Ribs only just above table surface. Base: – // Sides: – // Border: – // Handles: – // Lid: – // Dimensions: Length of rim 44cm (outside measurement), 41.5cm (inside measurement). Width of rim at handle 30cm (outside measurement), 25.5cm (inside measurement). Height from base to rim at handle 20.5cm. Height at ends to top of rim 18.5cm. Height at ends to top of weaving 20cm. Width of handle at rim to outside measurement of God’s eye 30cm. Height of handle above top of rim 11.5cm. Height of handle from inside of base (above handle overlap) to underside of handle 30cm. Width of handle at base at overlap from crack to crack 27cm. // Anything else to note about this particular basket: Repaired with fine wire, and glued or varnished after breaks in weaving material – maybe to prevent disintegrations. // Anything else to note about this type of basket: –, MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – 'Standard museum name: BASKET, shopping // Accession number: 83/40 // … // Recorder: J. M. Betts // Date: 17.6.83 // Description: A basket of oval shape consisting of two hoops, one making the rim and the other the handle. Woven with spale in various widths, the other framework strips all meet at the point where the handle and rim are joined together. It has a flat bottom. // Dimensions: Length: 43.0 cm Width: 27.0 cm Height: 30.0 cm // Associated information: This basket was made by gipsies [Gypsies] in the Ashdown Forest c.1930’s. It is a general purpose, household and shopping basket. Probably made from hazel or birch. // References: MERL Library 5852 // The Complete Book of Baskets and basketry by Dorothy Wright pp.117–123 Frame or ribbed baskets.’

Ashdown Forest

1930-01-01 - 1939-12-31

1930s

Butcher, Mary (Recorder)
Smith, Maggie (Recorder)