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This is an umbrella of the type used by shepherds and Lavinia Smith probably acquired it from a shepherd in the East Hendred area, Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire). It is made of blue cotton, reinforced at the top with a second layer of cotton, with wooden ribs and a turned wooden handle.

1 shepherd's umbrella: good condition

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'Nothing is known of the origin of this umbrella, though it is likely that Miss Smith obtained it from one of the shepherds who lived in the neighbourhood of East Hendred (Berks). // It is the traditional umbrella used by shepherds in the Downs to shelter themselves from the weather as they watched their flocks. // This one is made of the usual blue cotton with wooden ribs and a turned wooden handle. The apex is reinforced with a second layer of cotton, so that the rain would not penetrate the material at the point where the handle protrudes. There is a brass ring through the top by which the umbrella could be hung up. // It measures 3 feet 9 inches in length, and is about 4.5 feet in diameter when open.', No Lavinia Smith No. recorded.

Fibre, cotton, Wood

Rippon, Miss Dorothy May Lyddon (Agent)