While tracing one family (the Braybrooks) on my Dad's side, I found census records for them in 1841 in Keyston, Huntingdonshire and all the female members of the families (there were several groups) were lacemakers! <snip>What I don't know is the type of lace that would have been made in Keyston. It is on the border of Northamptonshire but could have been influenced by either Bedfordshire or Buckinghamshire. Does anyone have any suggestions to offer?
Ahhh, Helen, what we really need to know is, - how far is Keyston from Tiffield? :-)
In Jackson's "History of Hand-Made Lace", regarding Northamptonshire laces, she says in part "...The patterns were taken from those of Lille and Mechlin, hence the laces of Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire are often called "English Lille." (P. 184) The outbreak of the war with France gave a great impulse to the lace trade of Northampton, as it closed our ports to the French laces. From that time a sort of fausse Valenciennes, called locally "French ground," has been made. Valenciennes as fine as any made in Hainault was also made until the cessation of the war. The lace is still [1900] in Tiffield and other lace-making districts of the county."
I wonder if your 1841 ancestors would have been influenced by the laces made during the French wars, but 1815 to 1841 is only 26 years, and 26 years ago, today, is only 1981. I can well imagine someone making the laces of 1981 in 2007.
Adele Very close to you, in North Vancouver, BC and sorry to have missed the RAL meeting today. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
