Education Act of 1872, I believe. Prior to that, I think lace schools in the UK were lace schools and you were there to learn to make lace, not learn the 3R's. That changed after 1872. Anne Buck has a very good section about it in her book on Lester and the East Midlands laces, if anyone is interested in reading some more on it.
I know there are stories of lacemakers and their experiences on cutting off day. There's one dealer in Bedford, I think (don't think it was Lester), who was known to jam the fingers of his workers in the drawer as they reached in for a 'reward' if they'd made bad lace. You could tell those women, as they'd be walking along the street wringing their fingers. Cheers for now, Helen, Duvall, WA, where it's a lovely summery day. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
