51/882/1-6

6 identical wooden bobbins for use in making lace. They are made of holly with thistle tops and very long necks, and have a hole at the base to take a spangle (glass beads or ornaments attached to the bottom of the bobbin to provide additional weight) if additional weight is needed. This style of bobbin is similar to those used in France.

6 bobbins: wood (holly)

Visiting researcher note, Ann Dismukes (lacemaker), 1 October 2014 – 6 wooden bobbins; all the same; one has no thread (and is bent from use); the rest have very fine thread wrapped on them; all have a hole to take spangles to add weight if necessary., MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'These are wooden bobbins made of holly, with one very long and one short neck. Below the long neck, they are club-shaped, very similar to the type of bobbin found in France. These may be due to the influence of the Huguenots, who settled in many lace-making districts. // Miss Smith gives no indication of the place of origin of these bobbins. // See also 51/238M.', MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 51/238 – 'Lace bobbins were used in making pillow lace. The threads from two bobbins were tied together, and kept in place by a pin, stuck in the parchment patterns, which was attached to the pillow. The pattern was worked out with a line of pins and their respective bobbins, and the lace formed by weaving the bobbins over each other. Many bobbins were made by village turners out of material such as brass, silver, iron, pewter, but most commonly of wood or bone. They were often regarded as love tokens, and were inscribed with names, mottoes or love messages. Inscriptions were more common, however, on bone than on wood bobbins. // Many of them were coloured, either all over or in patterns, and ornamented with SPANGLES or JINGLES, wire loops threaded with beads which were attached to the end of the bobbin. When perfect, spangles consist of nine beads, viz. two TOP BEADS, six SQUARE CUTS (square beads with file markings on the sides), and a large, round bottom bead. Spangles were a nineteenth century characteristic. It has been said that they were used to compensate for the loss of weight consequent on the change from thick, bulbous shafts to thin ones.', No Lavinia Smith No. recorded.

Rippon, Miss Dorothy May Lyddon (Agent)