[lace] Straw plaiters

[Diana Smith]

This thread reminded me of a lacemaker in my research. I've pasted the
passage below.
 
"Born circa 1829 at Northill in Bedfordshire, Mary Tingey
was the daughter of Thomas & Sarah Tingey. Mary spent most of her life in
Bedfordshire being mainly employed as a house servant. In the 1851 census she
was in service at Sandy, Bedfordshire, by 1861 she was a housemaid to a
farmer at Thorncote, Northill. 
In 1871 she is living again with her parents,
together with 'her daughter' Sarah Ann (no mention of a man in her life, and
still using her maiden name). Her occupation is given as (straw)
‘Plaiter’. In 1881 she was still with her parents with the occupation of
‘Lacemaker’. In 1891 she was on her own in Northill (no occupation) and in
1901 still in Northill living on her ‘own means’. 
A family
photograph of Mary working at her lace pillow, dated c1909/10, was taken in
the garden of her daughter, Sarah Ann’s house at Kettering,
Northamptonshire; she may have gone to live with her daughter and would have
been about 80 years old."
 
Diana Smith, Northamptonshire

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