86/199/1-6

St Brigid's cross,

These six corn dollies are in the form of St. Brigid's crosses. All six are made of stalks (five of straw and one of rush), crossed over and tied together at the ends. Three of the corsses have a triangular-shaped centres and two have diamond-shaped centres. According to Irish custom, St. Brigid's crosses were hung above the door or fireplace to ensure health and prosperity of household, and for protection against great winds.

6 corn dollies: straw; rush; good condition- one broken

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: Traditional Irish St Brigid’s crosses // Six St Brigid’s crosses. One is made of rush, cross shaped with a diamond shaped centre. Five are made of straw, three with a triangular centre and two with diamond shaped centres. All the crosses are made of stalks, crossed over and tied together at the ends. // Dimensions: 12cm x 12cm average. // Associated information: By ancient custom in Ireland, the St. Brigid’s cross was placed over the door or fireplace to ensure the health and prosperity of the household, and for protection against great winds. // References: A. Coker’s Collection List of Corn Dollies, no.86’

Plant fibre, straw, Plant fibre, rush