In a message dated 6/29/2003 2:11:52 AM GMT Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> From Lace and Bobbins, T.L.Huetson 1973 > "The making of pillow lace requires the use of pins, and when the art of > making lace was brought to England these were very expensive. Consequently > the workers had to improvise their own, long thorns being used in the midlands > and fish bones in south Devon. The lace-makers along the coast of Devon, where > fishing was their livelihood, were in the ideal position of having plenty of > fish from which to choose good strong slender bones of suitable length." > > His bibliography includes Thomas Wright and Palliser, neither of which I > have, so I can't follow it back. I don't have Palliser in London, but I do have a nice old copy of Thomas Wright (1919) and this is what his book says on the subject of pins being used by lacemakers in England: "Soon after the Flemish Exodus brass wire pins came into general use in this country. Pins of a sort had been made here as early as 1347, but our brass wire pins date only from about 1530. By the statute of 1543 entitled "An Act for the True making of Pynnes" the price was not to exceed 6/8 per 1000. Nevertheless until 1626, when John Tilsby established a manufactory in Gloucestershire, most of the pins used by English workers were imported from France. The Pinmakers Corporation of London was not established till 1636." (Page 36) On page 122, the book continues: The early brass pins made in England had a globular head of fine twisted wire made separately and secured to the shank by compression from a falling block and die. Consequently the heads often came off. It was not until 1849 that the kind with solid heads now universally in use appeared on the market. The workers liked to use pins with red waxed or beaded heads for the Headside (or Turnside) of the lace, and gold wax or green beaded pins for the Footside. Sometimes however, for these purposes they used pins on which were threaded six or more tiny beads of blue and white or red and white placed alternately. In North Bucks these pins are called Limicks, in South Bucks Bugles, in Beds King Pins , and like the other coloured pins they added greatly to the beauty of the pillow. (page 122) He continues with a discussion of other types of pins. Burheads ornamented with the seeds of goosef-grass, and a bit about two pins with bone heads, inscribed with the usual dotted fashion common to bobbins, with the names Ruth and Thomas." These are pictured on plate 21. The shank of these pins look to be about the length of a Honiton bobbin...i.e. quite long! Elaine Merritt The Lace Museum 552 South Murphy Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94086 tel. (408) 730 4695 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED]
