Lace Making

This report is researched and written by Rosemary Mortham.

Introduction

In the 19th century lace making was an important source of income for ladies living in the local villages. The1851 census shows that of a female population in Lacey Green of 104 over 7 year olds, 80 were engaged in making lace. By the 1881 census that number had increased to 136, and 39 in Loosley Row. Lace making probably came to our part of England with protestant refugees fleeing religious persecution in the north of France, Belgium and Holland

For modern day workers like myself, lace making is a fascination craft. We enjoy the challenge of conquering another form of handwork. However, for the Victorian workers it was far from enjoyable. It filled every spare moment of their waking life but after the invention of lace making machines, no matter how hard they worked, they could no longer make a living. The first lace making machine was invented in the 1770s, and mechanisation had become well established in Nottingham by 1830. It is the history of lace making after this date and especially towards the end of the 19th Century, which has particularly interested me.

It is almost certain that lace was made in our villages in the 18th Century and perhaps even in the the 17th Century but I have not found any records of this. In the early days it would have been a much better paid occupation. Then all lace was handmade. To encourage the local workers imported lace was highly taxed, which led to a flourishing trade to smuggling.

Earnings

As always the poor were at the bottom of the heap. They were dependant on others to provide them with the orders and supplies, and these people also took a cut of the profit. Suppliers might work through local shops or be itinerant peddlers, coming back after a set time to collect the work. When bobbin lace making was seriously in decline a local wealthy lady might arrange orders for the villagers.

Suppliers would provide suitable threads and patterns known as "prickings". Workers would probably learn to make a few patterns, so that they could work faster.. In 1830, High Wycombe and Princes Risborough had lace dealers who sold thread and bought finished lace. They also carried a range of gods, to exchange for lace.

In our area, the local type of lace was the very fine and beautiful Buckinghamshire lace. This an usually be identified by the diagonal net, known as Bucks Point Ground. Lengths of lace would usually be straight on one side "the foot" for attachment to clothing etc., and shaped on the other, more decorative side, "the head"

Bucks lace was slow tomake and in the late 1800s many workers changed to Bedfordshire lace which is more open and faster to make. When this still did not prove profitable they made a coarse type of lace called torchon (dishcloth in Frnch). When they finally gave up lace making many local ladies took up tambour bead work, which was more fashionable in the early 1900s, being used on formal clothing like debutantes gowns. The centre of this work was Downley.

The County Museum Reserve - Collection of Lace Samples

Those from Lacey Green area show a great variety of patterns, which is surprising for such a small area.

Some samples are o fa type of black lace popular in the mid 17th century. Obviously the villagers were still able to make it in 1880 Some of the Bucks Point laces are also using patterns popular a century before. The lace made by Mrs Harford and Miss Jenkns are truly old in style. However there are no examples of lace more that one and a half inches wide. Narrower edgings appear to have been introduced about 1840.

There are a few examples of Bedfordshire type lace, which would have been quicker to make. These include a common design known as "Town Trot"

Coloured torchon lace is included in the collection, and this appears to be peculiar to the village. I was shown an example of this by Mrs Daphne Bristow,who kept the Post Office at Bradenham. It was made by her Granny, Mrs Currell.

There is one example of "gold lace", which was reputedly made for the Duchess of York in 1895

Some of the examples bear the name of Mrs Bousfield, who lived in Loosley House.