66/231

This shopping basket was made by Gypsies who lived in Hurt Wood, Surrey. They also made clothes pegs. Their wares were sold by Mr Grover, a fishmonger in Shere, Surrey, who also made fireworks. The basket is made from regenerated underwood from Hurt Wood, which suffered regularly from accidental fires, and is possibly willow. It is a frame basket, with two hoops – one making the rim and the other the handle – joined with a God’s eye weaving on each side. The basket is oval in shape with squared-off corners – although one end is rounder than the other, indicating the basket was not made on a former – and has a flat bottom. The donor purchased it 1942-1945 and used it until she donated it to the Museum in 1966.

1 basket: possibly willow; fragile

MERL ‘Stakeholders’ recording form, December 2013 – Object number: 66/231 // Name of recorder: Mary Butcher and Maggie Smith // General construction method: Stake and strand – frame basket. // Overall shape: – // Materials: – // General construction: As 83/40 apart from following differences. No nails seen but handle on base has pegs (wooden) to held them. No sign of pegs at rim overlap – maybe hidden by God’s eye. Eye is much better than 83/40 and holds 2 hoops together. 5 ribs each side of handle, all put in at once, inserted to outside of basket. Here finer ribs are the 2nd away from handle overlap, still at beginning of curve. Here ones either side of handle are also thin. Rim – one end still squarer than other. Overlap of rim = 11cm and rim shave to be thin there. Weaving – starts with very short weave with both ends on the inside. Another short row as 2nd row, so all ribs not tied until 3rd row. Top ribs sit outside of rim, as 83/40. No packing here, as 83/40. // Base: – // Sides: – // Border: – // Handles: – // Lid :– // Dimensions: This has different proportions of depth to handle from 83/40. Length 34.5cm (outside measurement). Width at handle 25cm (outside measurement to outside of God’s eye), 21cm (inside measurement at rim/handle junction). Height at handle to top of rim 11.5cm and 12.cm. Height at end to top of end 10.5cm, on shoulder 10cm and 12cm, so not uniform. Other end, centre, 10cm and slightly taller on one shoulder, slightly under on right. Height of handle under bow 2cm (inside measurement). Height above rim 12.5cm. // Anything else to note about this particular basket: – // Anything else to note about this type of basket: –, MERL ‘Stakeholders’ recording form, December 2013 – Object number: 83/40 // Name of recorder: Mary Butcher and Maggie Smith // General construction method: Stake and strand – frame basket. // Overall shape: Oval top, with squarish corners on the top rim. Flat bottom. Looking down, shape different at both ends so done by hand, not using a former. One end more rounded. // Materials: Birch doesn’t split like this and hazel doesn’t split without spiral. Other baskets bought in Kent in the 1970s were split willow (4 of them). // Construction: Handle of shaved thicker material, right angle bends as end turns to form the centre of the base. Held with nails. The overlap goes right across base. Two hoops – handle and top rim, plus 12 ribs, 6 each side, of varying widths, all shaved. The 3rd rib down on each side is narrower. Rim has flat top edge. Handle shaved to the thinnest at edges, and shaped to be squarish. Junction of 2 hoops held with binding similar to God’s Eye. Lashing/God’s eye – starts with short end held by the binding, finishes with long end going down beside handle and is woven with it to be held by the weavers. No packing. Ribs – handle and 1 either side have right-angled bends to make them square, the others are more curved. All are pointed at ends and chamfered at sides. Handle outside rim. 16cm overlap in rim on one side only, at handle position. Nailed onto handle at both sides. Ribs are very pointed and put into binding all at once. Ribs inserted on outside of eye. Finer, narrowing weaving material is over 2 ribs under 2 ribs wherever possible for 3 rows, then over 1 under 1 for the rest. Occasional full turns round the rim between rows. Weavers overlapped, sometimes for 1 stroke, sometimes 2 ribs, sometimes chamfered. Profile – vertical sides at handle, vertical from top down to 1st rib from top, then starts to curve in slowly. Ribs next to centre base horizontal. Ribs only just above table surface. Base: – // Sides: – // Border: – // Handles: – // Lid: – // Dimensions: Length of rim 44cm (outside measurement), 41.5cm (inside measurement). Width of rim at handle 30cm (outside measurement), 25.5cm (inside measurement). Height from base to rim at handle 20.5cm. Height at ends to top of rim 18.5cm. Height at ends to top of weaving 20cm. Width of handle at rim to outside measurement of God’s eye 30cm. Height of handle above top of rim 11.5cm. Height of handle from inside of base (above handle overlap) to underside of handle 30cm. Width of handle at base at overlap from crack to crack 27cm. // Anything else to note about this particular basket: Repaired with fine wire, and glued or varnished after breaks in weaving material – maybe to prevent disintegrations. // Anything else to note about this type of basket: –, MERL 'Catalogue of baskets' form – 'NAME: BASKET. SHOPPING. // Acc. No.: 66/231 // Group: PERSONAL. USE. // Neg. no.: 60/7852 // Place of origin: Surrey // Period in use: From 1945 // DESCRIPTION // Materials: From regenerated underwood after fires on Hurtwood Heath. Birch or hazel. // Shape and construction: Oval frame type, two hoops, one making the rim & the other the basket handle. Woven with spale from 1/4” to 1/2” wide. Bottom is flat. 4 spelks added each side. // Dimensions: Length 13”. Width 9” Height 4” // Use: For shopping. // Dialect names: // Distribution: // Additional notes: Made by a gypsy [Gypsy] settlement at Hurtwood, Surrey which also made clothes pegs. Marketed by a fishmonger in the village of Shere who also made fireworks. // A typical gypsy [Gypsy] basket. see C. L. 24th May 1944. E.R. [East Riding] Yorkshire. C. W. B.'

Hurt Wood

1942 - 1945

Wright, Dorothy (Recorder)
Butcher, Mary (Recorder)
Smith, Maggie (Recorder)