I've visited Hamilton Museum (it's not far from Glasgow). It has lace
pillows and bobbins (all of the typical English Midlands type) and
some lace but only one piece that is said to be Hamilton lace. I took
Jeri Ames there back in 2002 and we were both very unhappy with the
scrambled mess on the lace pillow, enough to put anyone off
lacemaking, but I haven't been back since.
Over ten years ago I tried to follow up the references about Scottish
lace that Mrs Palliser quotes but got nowhere. My feeling is that any
bobbin lacemaking in Scotland was probably of the 'opportunistic'
type - when lace sold well someone set up a 'lace industry' but when
the slump came (as it always did) the lacemaking faded away. I'm not
quite sure why it survived in New Pitsligo - perhaps because it was
taught in the school there as part of the normal curriculum. This is
what I wrote about New Pitsligo lace in an article about Scottish
lace for a German lace magazine:
"In the nineteenth century lacemaking developed as a cottage industry
in New Pitsligo, a village in north-eastern Aberdeenshire. It is
uncertain who introduced lacemaking but it was encouraged by the
minister, Rev.W.Webster who came to the village in 1841. He helped to
improve the standard of the lace by bringing in teachers, compiled a
specimen book and also found buyers for the lace including Queen
Victoria. A report on Scottish Home Industries (1895) says that in
the summer 50-60 and in the winter 150-160 persons are engaged in
making lace. Women giving pretty steady attention to the work should
make from 4s. to 5s. a week. The report is illustrated and includes a
picture of a New Pitsligo lacemaker working at a bolster pillow
outside her cottage. The lace was mainly Torchon, worked with the
footside on the left indicating a continental influence, but there
were local names for the patterns such as Lady's Fan, Jumpin Jecks
and Ox-eye. The workers also referred to the movements of the bobbins
as knit and twist instead of the more usual cross and twist. Lace is
still made in New Pitsligo but now only as a hobby."
And Rochelle, there is another Scottish lace - Ballantrae lace - but
you'll have to wait for the July issue of 'Lace'.
Now back to all the things on my list (this wasn't).
Jean in Glasgow, Scotland
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