Object number
66/261
Title
Yard of butter basket,
Exhibition
Creator
Description
This is a ‘yard of butter’ basket made for the Museum in 1965–1966 by William Shelley of Salisbury, Wiltshire. It is close-randed rectangular basket with a foot and a roped handle made of white willow. These baskets were used for selling butter which had been made into yard-long rolls. The seller would carry a set of wooden scales so that he could measure out the required quantities. These baskets seem to be peculiar to the eastern counties of England, and are known to have been in use in Cambridge in the nineteenth century.
Physical description
1 basket: wood, willow
Label Text
<DIV STYLE="text-align:Justify;font-family:Georgia;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:16;color:#000000;"><P><SPAN><SPAN><P>BUTTER BASKET</P><P>This 'yard of butter' basket was made for the Museum during the 1960s by William Shelley of Salisbury, Wiltshire. Baskets like this were used for selling butter, which had been made into yard-long rolls. The seller would carry a set of wooden scales to measure the right quantities. They were peculiar to eastern England and are known to have been in use in Cambridge during the 1800s.</P><P>Why I chose it?</P><P>'I had never heard of a butter basket, which seems a clever way of carrying butter around. The butter was made in two long tubes and placed in the basket. They were cut into chunks and sold.'</P><P>MERL 66/261</P></SPAN></SPAN></P></DIV>
Archival history
This is one of thirteen baskets ordered from William Shelley on 17 June 1965. The list of orders is as follows: 66/261, yard of butter; 66/262, doctor’s basket [specimen bottle basket]; 66/263, round fowl cage [poultry travelling basket]; 66/264, egg cage [egg basket]; 66/265, cowel [fish back pannier basket]; 66/266, cowel [fish back pannier basket]; 66/267, seedlip; 66/268, umbrella basket; 66/269, corn server [feeding basket]; 66/270, arch cage [pigeon basket]; duck basket; alligator basket; watercress flat., MERL 'Catalogue of baskets' form – 'NAME: BASKET (Yard of butter) // Acc. No.: 66/261 // Group: MARKETING DAIRY Produce BUTTER // Neg. no.: 60/7768 // Place of origin: Cambridgeshire. Place made: Copy made in Wiltshire Place distribution: E. Cos. [eastern counties] // Period in use: First mention in 1583 // DESCRIPTION // Materials: wood/White willow // Shape and construction: Rectangular. Close randed. 5-behind-2 border with a foot. Roped handle across the centre. 6 bottom sticks. 21 x 6 stakes & 4 corner sticks. Border: 5-behind-2. // Dimensions: 37” long. 11” high. // Use: For selling butter which was made into yard-long rolls. The seller carried a set of wooden scales. // Dialect names: Yard of butter basket // Distribution: Seems to have been peculiar to the Eastern counties. Method of selling was in use in Cambridge Colleges in 19th century. // Additional notes: // Maker: Wm. [William] Shelley'
Production place
Salisbury
Production date
1965 - 1966
Object name
Material
Technique
Associated subject
Associated person/institution
External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_7768.tif - High resolution image
- L:\MERL\Objects\Baskets\66_261_cob.tif - High resolution image
