Archival history
MERL Miscellaneous note, Greta Bertram, 7–8 October 2014 – Mary Butcher questioned Dorothy Wright’s statement that these baskets were never used with a ladder. A closer examination of Dorothy Wright’s ‘Catalogue of Baskets’ form indicates that the text originally said ‘older people liked it when on a ladder’, which has then been crossed out and changed (in Dorothy’s handwriting) to ‘older people liked it but never used on a ladder’., Visiting researcher note, Mary Butcher (basketmaker), 7–8 October 2014 – Nason was blind, and stopped work in 1967. The kibseys made by him in the MERL collection have never been used. Packing a kibsey so that it contained the right volume of fruit was a skill in itself. Mary was taught that a ‘kibsey’ was specifically a flat-backed basket, but Dorothy Wright did speak to Nason, so the definition of a kibsey may vary., MERL ‘Stakeholders’ recording form, October 2014 – Object number: 65/321 (6 Gallon Fruit Kibsey) // Name of recorder: Mary Butcher // General construction method: Stake and strand // Overall shape: Round, with flat side. // Materials: White willow. Palembang cane for base outside knot, for 1st round of upsett and wrapping on handle. // Base: Knot of white willow, starting with butts, on shaved base sticks, not split. These rods woven out, then randed with cane over-1-under-1. 11” (28cm) across with high crown. Shaving of base sticks very long, thick as a fat pencil – thickest 1cm across at butt. Crown 2.5cm. Number of sticks 3 x 3, but 2 are carried together (2 of the top set as you are weaving. This would be worked under the feet, looking at the underside.) Joins in the cane randing are pricked in. Measure of base + upsett is 12” (30.5cm). 11 ends of base sticks. // Sides: 4-rod wale upsett in cane, starting on one side only. Not pulled down. 1 row only, on an odd number of stakes, 23. White willow 3-rod wale, starting with tips, one butt joins on curve, finishing with tips on the curve. Slewing with 3 or 4 rods, starting to the left of the back and building quickly to 3, before going in to curve on the right of the flat back. Flat back where the 2 base sticks are together. Slewing picked off with a picking knife (angle of cuts on butts). At 10.5” (26.7cm), slewing continues on curve only, pulling the stakes at either end of these rows away from the flat back, but still pulling them out to maintain flow. Bye stakes added, one each side, next to stakes to provide edges for the flat back. Slyped and put into slew about 4.5” (11cm). Flat back – (1 row slewing appears to go across flat bit but is part of the last full round) randed, starting with a butt inside the central stick of 5 (3 original + 2 bye stakes). 5 tops used, all started with slyped butts in this position. Tops all finished on the outside. Slew rapped down but not hard. Siding finishes with a row of pairing in white willow, starting with 2 slyped butts pricked in to the left (from the outside) of the 2 stakes to the left of the left-hand opening [diagram]. No flow on the flat back. Tips finish in the same position. Inside Measure (IM) at point where back randing starts 14” (35.7cm). IM at top of pairing, handle to handle 15” (38.2cm), side to side 16” (40.6cm). // Border: 5 behind 2 rod border, started centre front. Stakes twisted as they come down to stand proud of border. Square corners at back (see over). Finished centre front with 6 crams. 1st square corner – (on left as you look at the back from outside) 3 stakes into corner (which is between the stakes either side of the slit). 3 stakes gathered up, 4th forms the corner – stays alone and is used again. Left-hand corner stake goes behind 2 to resume normal pattern. 2nd square corner – 3 stakes between right-hand corner stake and the next (NOT above slit as on the left). 3 gathered up, 4th makes the corner and this time gets a partner. 2nd space from the corner has a single stake (the gathered up one next to the corner) and this is used again. At end, no threading, all crammed. // Handles: Cross handle from centre of flat back to centre front stake which is slightly offset to the left (seen from outside). Bow a thick white willow stick, with randing at back (about 4” (10cm)) 6” (15cm) down with siding at front, 5/8” (1cm) across at butt. Pricked in both ends to the right of a stake so held by border. Height above crown of base to underneath handle 16.5” (42cm). Wrapped with Palembang, pricked in centre front, to left of bow, 4 turns from outside to inside (well to the left of the handle bow), back up on inside and round handle again, touching itself, then through from the outside to inside (away from the bow again) at centre front, up on inside and back touching original pricked in butt, in from outside (between bow and 1st wrapping), back low to border, and so on. Top is threading under 3 wrappings centre front and out. Centre back has 4 wrappings. Depth of slit 2 /58” (6cm) below border. // Lid: N/A // Dimensions: Top OM (Outside Measure) from handle to handle 16” (40.7cm); side to side at max. 18” (45.8cm). IM (Inside Measure) handle to handle 13” (33cm); side to side at max. 15” (38.1cm). Height without handle 14.25” (36.4cm); centre back 14” (35.7cm); centre front at widest on each side 14.25” (36.4cm). Probable willow sizes – base knot 6-foot; stakes 8-foot; upsett 6-foot or thin 7-foot. Slewing from tops, getting thicker towards the top. Handle bow a thin stick, base sticks from thin sticks (often 2 year growth). // Anything else to note about this particular basket: George Nason, the basketmaker, was blind and in his last years had his workshop at the town end of the New Drover Road in Canterbury. He stopped work in 1967. // Anything else to note about this type of basket: Most East Kent apple and pear harvesting baskets I have seen were round, the flat back being more common on smaller one gallon baskets for cherries and soft fruit. Used to be apple pickers at Cobtree Manor, Kent Rural Life Museum., MERL 'Catalogue of baskets' form – 'NAME: BASKET (apple) // Acc. No.: 65/321 // Group: HARVESTING. FRUIT. // Neg. no.: 60/6339 // Place of origin: Canterbury // Period in use: 1965 // DESCRIPTION // Materials: White willow. Cane handle & part of the bottom weaving. // Shape and construction: 6 bottom sticks. 23 stakes. 3 rounds upset. Round, but the upper side is flattened for about 6”. The weaving of the two parts – flat & round – returns on itself to make the vertical slits to take a strap. Side slewed. Border 5-behind-2. Handle roped, going from centre of the flat side to the opposite one. // Dimensions: Diameter top: 15” Diam. bottom: 11” Height: 13” // Use: For picking apples & pears. It may be strapped to the waist, when the picker has both hands free. Older people like it but never used on a ladder. // Dialect names: Kibsey or Ripsey. Kentish slang ([Dorothy] Wright) Romani – Ripsi // Distribution: East Kent. Special orders. // Additional notes:'
