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Straw plaiting was a huge industry in the late 1800s. It became the new and main employment of 1000s of women in Berkshire and Hertfordshire. It was the perfect way to supplement an agricultural wage because it could be done any time of day, was in huge demand and the straw was in great abundance so costs were minimal. 

Women and children would make yards of straw plait, most of which would be sent to Dunstable and Luton, the industry centre for straw hats. 

‘Schools’ were set up for children which promised both a basic education and a trade. The schools, however, were very tough, children often worked from 6am to midnight with little to no education taking place. What's worse is parents actually paid for their children to attend these schools. 

Mrs. Wimbush, who had a plait school in Northchurch, had 41 children in a room 10 feet square, and at busy times the same room held 60 children. She admitted to caning the children. It was rare for any subject to be taught, as the main function of the mistress was to ensure that the children completed their work. 

Straw hats were used for both practical purposes but were also becoming a fashion statement for many in less rural areas. The straw hat became a symbol of status and wealth, especially the more elaborately made and decorated ones found in the Regency and Georgian Era (1811 - 1899). 

This hat in particular would have been a great symbol of wealth. It is a Leghorn hat imported from Leghorn Italy, made with leghorn straw. Originally it would have been decorated with a large Ostrich feather! 

This cap was manufactured in North America and is most likely associated with the Haudenosaunee nation, commonly known as the Iroquois Confederacy. Indigenous women would make items like smoking caps, moccasins and baskets for British visitors who could then return to the UK with souvenirs from North America and Canada. 

Smoking caps were popular in the Victorian times as part of gentlemanly etiquette. It was considered improper to smoke in front of women and to prevent them smelling smoke upon return, smoking caps and jackets were worn to protect hair and clothes. In Victorian times they would often be a gift from a woman, and she would have made it herself. The most common types were inspired by the Near and Middle East.

The beadwork on this cap identifies it as one of these souvenirs. Interestingly, when this item was collected into the MERL collection, there was no information left about where the hat had been made. The focus of the object record at time of collection was the man who owned it, although even that information is also up for debate! 

The cap belonged to Hezekiah Odell (blacksmith) or his brother (killed in the Crimea) from Holwell, Hertfordshire, c.1850.

With thanks to Professor Laura Peers  

Bliss Phillips, R. (1998) Trading Identities The Souvenir in Native North American Art from the Northeast, 1700-1900 

This sash belonged to the Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds; a Friendly Society founded in 1826 in Ashton-under-Lyme. Friendly Societies were created to provide help for local communities before there was any kind of public health care or financial support. Members paid a monthly fee that would go into a shared pot used when a member needed assistance.

By 1914, branches of the Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds had spread across the country and membership totalled 140,000. “Loyal” acted as a reassurance to others that the group was loyal to crown and not a political group. The chose “Shepherds” to act as a reminder of the Nativity of Jesus. 

Sashes

Sashes were the most common item of regalia worn by members of Friendly Societies, mirroring the style worn by Freemason’s. Items of regalia like this created unity within the group and could also indicate position and status within the society. The use of sashes would later be adopted by trade unions and the Temperance movement. 

The first sashes would have been made at home, with approved colours and symbols, however by the 19th century, lots of factories were being set up with banner and regalia production in mind. One of the most famous, and the most likely creator of this banner was George Tutill. 

George Tutill

Tutill found his fame as a banner and regalia maker in 1851, opening a factory in Spitalfields, London. By setting up his factory in the East End of London, he was able to take advantage of cheap, skilled labour from the area.

The banners and sashes were made of pure silk and weaved by hand on a Jaquard Loom. Tutill installed his in the 1880s claiming it was the largest in the world. By weaving silk on the loom ensured better control of the weave. This made Tutill's some of the highest quality silk work on the market. Tutill also patented a mixture of rubber and linseed oil which could be coated on silk to protect the paintings on regalia. 

His quality and attention to detail meant that during the Victorian period, his banners, sashes and regalia were used by Freemasons, Friendly Societies, civic and community associations and even Sunday Schools. 

With thanks to the Museum of Freemasonry

Further Reading:

• Click here to find out more about George Tutill 
• Click here to read about Fraternal Associations 

These items come from the Kellman Collection, used and collected by Alexander Kellman, a tailor on the Queen’s Road in Reading.
Thread MERL 97/79
Cloth MERL 97/82
Bobbins MERL 97/78/1-37

Tailors were important members of society since the late Middle Ages. Their main role was often focused on men’s clothing, specifically tailoring military wear. As fashion became a symbol of status, the role of the tailor became important in creating splendid outfits for the rich and royal to set trends to be copied by the masses. 

A Tailor’s Workshop 

Some tailors had their own shops and employed a small staff. Those who cut the cloth were known as ‘cutters’ and were considered the most important as their job required the most skill. Next followed the ‘sewers’ who stitched the cloth together into the required article. 

Other tailors, known as ‘Journeymen ’, would go out to different houses across the country and work for specific families. If their work was of a high standard, the family might employ them exclusively to create all their clothes.

A Turbulent Trade 

The trade was one of the first in England to raise labour disputes. Tailors were also one of the first groups to start a trade union. The main issues were long hours, poor wages and the outsourcing of work to women and children. It is worth noting that these women and children worked in sweatshops for a pittance in even worse conditions than the tailors. 

According to the 1850’s census, tailoring was the fourth largest industry in the country and yet one of the worst paid. Many ‘Masters’ had begun outsourcing work to 'outworkers’, which saved money on lighting, heating and even materials. 'Outworkers' would share the work with their wives and children to maximise their output and hopefully increase income. Many ‘Masters’ could withhold payment if they considered the work to be below standard. 

Modern Day Tailoring 

Inventions like the sewing machine made mass production of clothes much more affordable. The work of the tailor once again focused on those who could afford bespoke clothing and mending and repairs that could not be done at home. 

Could you imagine spending your evenings just by candlelight? In most homes across England the main source of light in the home was firelight and candlelight. The rich could afford candles made of beeswax, which smelled nice and lasted a long while. In poorer homes they used rush lights or tallow, which smelt terrible and only lasted as much as an hour.  

In 1709 a tax was imposed on purchasing and making candles with the government at the time seeking to make money on this necessary commodity. Some inventive farmer’s wives would take a risk and make their own candles in secret. The tallow rendered from a single bullock would be enough to make all the candles needed on an average farm for three years!

Longer Lasting Light

Later, oil lamps allowed for longer lasting light and were slightly safer than candles. However, gas lamps were often smelly, dangerous and caused damage to the house and occupiers' health. 

It wasn’t until the 1930s that some homes began to be powered by electricity via the National Grid. This covered new builds and wealthy households in and around big cities. This form of power was clean, safe and was becoming ever more affordable to the average household. It took much longer, however for the rest of the country to be added to the National Grid, and for those living in rural areas, this would have been a long wait indeed. 

This is why, even when electrical goods like sewing machines were becoming more popular, it was still useful to have hand powered machinery when you lived in a rural area. The farmer’s wife would be busy at her machine in the evening, despite the lack of light and power, making sure her family was well dressed, clothed and warm. 

For more information:

https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/everyday-wonders/electric-lighting-home

To make leatherwork for horses a lot of skill and a good range of tools are required. This craft often happened in towns and villages, with a good saddler in high demand. As well as working on the farm, horses were the main form of transporting both people and good across the country, and leatherwork had to be of a high standard.

Harness making involves a lot of stitching. This would originally have been done by hand but is now done on machine. This change caused a loss of the saddler’s skill and often lead to harnesses not being as good quality as before. 

The leatherwork would be flat stitched in a method called ‘double-handed’. This meant the thread, often flax or boar bristle dipped in beeswax, has a needle at each end and the leather would be stitched twice. A saddler also needed tools like an awl to make the holes for the thread to pass through. Awls come in various shapes and sizes to suit the material and desired style. 

It is suggested that whether using the original handstitched method, or working on machine, the thread should be heavily waxed because it ensures the thread is protected and the stitches are held tight in the leather. 

Canal boats were vital in transporting coal and goods made during the boom of the industrial revolution in the 18th Century. This moved many seasonal farmers to the boats as this life was slightly more predictable, but still maintained the migratory aspect of living. 

Canal boat living involved the whole family. Children were expected to help once they were old enough, often caring for the horses that tugged the boat along. 

Women lived on the barge with their husband and children, all crammed into a very small space. Despite the cramped conditions, boat women took immense pride in their homes, decorating every square inch with lace, rugs and the distinctive ‘castle and roses’ design on utensils and furniture. 

There was no reason then for her family not to look well-dressed either. Many women made the clothes that they and their families wore. With space in the narrow boat at a premium they would often use a small hand operated sewing machine like the Moldacot Pocket Sewing Machine. 

Most of the clothes worn were a mixture of practical and modest. Women worn ankle length skirts so they could move around the boat safely. They also had aprons to keep their clothes clean and shawls to offer some warmth in the cold days. Men wore breeches or thick moleskin trousers, canvas shirts and bright coloured waistcoats, adding some personalisation to an outfit based in function. 

Narrowboat on the Grand Union Canal Image P DX1003/2

Worn in Oxfordshire in the early twentieth century, this dress was hand sewn from cotton and printed with floral designs. The time it was created was an important turning point for British influence in the global cotton trade. Having previously exploited the colonies for cotton growth, such as America and then India, Britain’s role in cotton manufacture declined due to a lack of exports during the First World War. It is likely that the thread used to create this dress was made in Britain, but throughout the twentieth century, cotton mills closed rapidly across the English industrial heartlands.

Today, cotton has both environmental benefits and downsides. Unlike polyester, it naturally degrades and does not release microplastics into the ecosystem. However, its production consumes huge quantities of water, and intensive cotton farming is leading to soil degradation around the world. 

Although sewing machines became more affordable towards the end of the nineteenth century, many families would have continued hand sewing, particularly those who did so as a pastime, not a profession.  

Made in Orkney, this straw coil-type basket was used to store sewing supplies. Scorch marks are visible within the basket, which is evidence of the basket being ‘toasted’ to remove protrusions of twine and straw from the inside.

A straw sewing basket such as this would have been much more common in remote, rural areas, as the techniques used are reminiscent of baskets historically used in farming tasks. This suggests that rural people would have been less likely to own a sewing machine, principally in the nineteenth century, when many such machines would have come with their own sewing box to store accessories such as buttons and needles.

Before the age of radio and TV advertising, sewing machines would have been sold door to door, and sending these salespeople into the countryside would have been an inefficient marketing strategy. Sewing machines did eventually catch on in the countryside, particularly when mains electricity became ubiquitous around the UK. By this time, the craft of making sewing baskets would have diminished significantly. 

‘Tatting’ is a form of lacemaking that produces a garment more durable than crocheted lace. It particularly focuses on knots within the fabric, and is thought to derive from ancient sailors using knots to create their fishing nets. Originally, patterns were made with a series of knots and this evolved into the practice which was first called ‘tatting’ in 1843. Traditionally, tatting was most commonly done with a shuttle, an oval shaped metal implement which feeds the threads through the required loops to create tatting knots. It was typically cheaper than other types of lacemaking, using only one knot (known commonly as the lark’s head knot).  

Although tatting had begun to gain popularity in the ninteenth century, it is not a craft that can be replicated by any machine and so did not benefit from increased mechanisation of garment making. As such, it is now a more niche craft than sewing, knitting or crochet, but does still have dedicated practitioners across the country. 

Acquired from The Mount in Reading, this tape measure was used in sewing to measure different sizes of pins, tapes and buttons. Named the ‘Crescent Workbasket Treasure’, it was an early product of the Crescent Tools company, which remains a prominent hand tools manufacturer to this day. First used in the 1860s when sewing machines were becoming popular, sewing tape measures quickly became an essential tool for tailors. Made from cloth or fabric as opposed to metal, they were used for taking measurements of customers, drafting patterns, and ensuring fabric was the correct size. 

Sewing pins are also important to the process, as they temporarily hold fabric in place whilst it is stitched. Amongst the types of pins listed on this tape measure are the unusually named toilet pins and shield pins. Toilet pins, set aside from others by its sizeable head and thin shaft, are named after the French ‘toile’, which translates to ‘material’. Shield pins are safety pins specifically for holding dress shields in place.  

This decorative thimble was used to make and mend clothes in the early twentieth century. It would have been placed on whichever finger pushed the sewing needle, in order to protect it. Although it is usually worn on the middle finger today, it was originally invented for the thumb, thus deriving its name from ‘thumb-bell’.

It is likely that thimbles have existed for as long as sewing has, and they began to be mass produced towards the end of the seventeenth century. Into the nineteenth century, many thimbles were made from silver like this one, with steel cores to prevent the needle piercing the soft metal. 

Thimbles have spread into wider culture, particularly in Britain. They have been used to measure and drink spirits for hundreds for years, and bartenders still use ‘thimble measures’ to mix cocktails.  

This lacemaking pattern, made from vellum and cloth, would be stuck to a lacemaking pillow and would form a template for the lace work to be carried out. Lace patterns have existed for as long as the lacemaking profession, with pattern books printed in Venice as early as the sixteenth century. Although lace was rarely worn by ordinary working people in the countryside, it is widely considered a cottage industry as lacemaking would supplement a rural family’s income. Lace was far more expensive than other types of garment, given its detailed and time-consuming nature. 

Lace makers would follow trends, such as the demand for gold and silver lace to edge clothes like jackets and gloves. Designs became more and more intricate over the centuries, with thread becoming progressively finer. The introduction of machine-made lace in the early nineteenth century made it almost impossible for individuals to make a living from lacemaking, and skill in the craft became rare across the country.  

Spindles are an essential tool for the weaving process, typically used for spinning or winding yarn, usually wool. This particular spindle was used by the donor in Shetland, and then featured in an exhibition in the South Bank Centre, London, in 2012. It formed part of a baobab tree sculpture, 15 metres tall, which consisted of rings of textiles. Each ring represented a different community from around the world, and so celebrated global variation in textile design.  

Across the museum's physical displays and online content, we focus on the traditional English smock which first came to prominence in the 16th century, and the ‘smocking’ technique which creates more elastication in the garment. However, some traditional clothes of other countries have an even deeper history, such as India’s sari, which was first mentioned in Hindu scripture 5,000 years ago. Like smocks, their designs have significant regional differences. 

This scarf was crafted by Caitlin Hinshlewood, a textiles designer based in London. It is a unique design, inspired by a visit to The MERL, and features a chicken, a tractor, a saw, a shovel, and a gingerbread mould figure. The arrangement is printed on silk and the edges are hand stitched. Caitlin’s work is often used as a narrative for untold histories, as opposed to simply emphasising visual appeal. The MERL collections were ideal for this type of storytelling, particularly with regard to garden tools, as we often know little about the specific histories of these objects. She also has an interest in folk histories, as is reflected by the inclusion of the corn dolly. 

Historically, textiles in a rural setting have been function over fashion, and clothing was only unique due to the repairs carried out on it. Some smocks were the exception, sporting detailed embroidery. It’s still debated today as to the motivation behind this embroidery. Some believe it represented the worker’s profession or location, with others countering that the designs were down to individual personal preference. 

These are plaster casts of Joseph Arch's hands.

Joseph Arch (1826-1919) was the first person from a labouring background in Britain to become a Member of Parliament, from 1892-1900.

He was also the President of the National Agricultural Labourers Union (1872-1896), the first successful union to be established. He lived in Barford, Warwickshire and worked as a labourer. As the local Primitive Methodist preacher he was skilled at public speaking, which helped him with his union speeches and the hustings during campaigning to become an MP.

We're not entirely sure why these casts of Joseph's hands exist. There is speculation that they were cast as an alternative to a death mask, signifying Joseph's pride in being a labourer. They were, however, cast before Joseph's death. Others have thought that he may have had his hands cast as a study for a waxwork, but again there is little evidence to support the theory.

This Ferguson Tractor was found as a mess on a scrapheap by a retired teacher at Rycotewood College. He enlisted the help of students to repair and restore the tractor to working condition. At a later date, it was purchased by The MERL with the help of the Science Museum.

The tractor was probably manufactured in 1948. It is one of the earliest types built by the Standard Motor Company at their Banner Lane plant, Coventry.

Today, the tractor is displayed in The MERL's Collecting Rural England gallery. Plan your free visit to the museum and see this object in person.

Find out more