86/29/1-4

Hereford Lantern,

Alec Coker (Maker)

These four identical corn dollies were made by Alec Coker, an experienced corn dolly maker. This type of dolly is known as a ‘lantern’, ‘Hereford lantern’ or ‘pyramid’. Each dolly consists of five pieces of straw woven in a spiral shape and tapering at the top to form a plaited ring. Five ears of corn hang down from the inside of each lantern.

4 corn dollys: corn

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: LANTERN // Straw woven in spiral shape, tapering at the top to form a plaited ring. Five ears of corn hanging down from inside the lantern. // 4 identical lanterns 86/29/1–4 // Dimensions: 19cm x 7cm (at the widest part) // Associated information: Traditional lantern. Also called the Hereford Lantern or Pyramid. // Alec Coker was born in Maldon, Essex and developed the long tradition of straw crafts in Essex so that it has become a national pastime. // References: A. Coker. The Craft of Straw Decoration p.29 // S. Charlton. Strawcraft and Corn Dollies p.47 // A. Coker’s Collection of Corn Dollies no.16.’