60/587

Henry Holliday (Manufacturer)

A besom is a broom made of brush or twigs which are bound with a bond known as a ‘lap’. This is a six-lapped heather besom, for general use. It is part of a large collection of traditional craft products acquired from the British Council in 1960. It was supplied by, and probably made by, Henry Holliday of Stape, North Yorkshire, circa 1945–6.

1 besom: heather, wood

MERL miscellaneous note, B. L. 22 March 1961 – ‘The British Council collection. // This collection of material which is covered by the accession numbers 60/430 to 60/791 contains examples of craft products made in the British Isles. The major part of the collection was prepared immediately after the Second World War for a travelling exhibition which was sent to Australia and New Zealand. // The collection was purchased for a nominal sum by the Museum in two portions, the one in the summer of 1960 and the other in February 1961. // For further details see the individual catalogue cards and the catalogue prepared for the temporary exhibition of the collection.’, MERL 'Catalogue index' card – ‘A six-lapped heather besom for general use. // The handle is 25 1/2 in long and the brush is 2 in. long. // For detailed analysis see: K.S. Woods: Rural Crafts of England. Harrap, 1949. // H.E. Fitzrandolph & M. Daniel Hay: Rural Industries of England and Wales. Vol. I. Oxford, 1926. Pp.114–119. // See also 60/590. // A “lap” is the bond which is used to bind the heather or twigs of the head of the besom. Ash is the most common lap material. Various methods are used to compress the heather whilst the lap is wrapped round it; tightening by pulling on the lap itself is not satisfactory and it is better that the whole should be made taut by the expansion of the compressed heather against the encircling lap.’, British Council ‘Exhibition of Rural Handicrafts from Great Britain’ Exhibition Catalogue, 1946, ‘Introductory Note’ – ‘This exhibition contains only examples of handicrafts that are still being practised in the British Countryside. It is confined to the work of our traditional craftsmen and women who, with very few exceptions, would not think of themselves as artists or designers but whose work, nevertheless, so greatly enriches the daily life of those who live with and use their products. The work of these craftsmen, too, provides the basis from which many artist-craftsmen gain technical knowledge and inspiration. // Included with these rural crafts are eight screens showing handicraft processes which can be undertaken by schools or adults who wish to practise a craft at home. In this way we hope these examples of Britain’s country crafts may be related to a practical aspect of present day life in the Dominions and meet the increasing need to find satisfying ways of using the leisure which machinery now makes available to us. // Along with her traditional rural crafts Great Britain seeks to employ all the resources of modern agricultural science and engineering. We have therefore included with this exhibition some photographs showing examples of recent developments in agricultural machinery.’, British Council ‘Exhibition of Rural Handicrafts from Great Britain’ Exhibition Catalogue, 1946, p.44 – ‘Besom brooms are widely used all over Great Britain. The twigs used come from locally available material, e.g. birch, heather, etc. The Yorkshire heather besoms are used in the ship-building industry in the iron rolling mills for brushing and skimming the sheets as they come from the foundry.’, British Council ‘Exhibition of Rural Handicrafts from Great Britain’ Exhibition Catalogue, 1946, p.43 – '54. Six-lapped heather Besom for general use. H. Holliday, North Yorkshire.', British Council Ref. No. NZ 54.

Stape

1945 - 1946

Wood, Plant fibre