Many years ago when Kettering (Northants) held their first lace day one of
the speakers was the bobbin maker Garth Johns of Geddington. He was one of
the soldiers who help clear Harry Armstrong's lace factory and he recalled
the story to us. He was horrified that he had been involved in such
sacrilege - destroying lace, pillows, bobbins and other equipment.
Its said that the boy who threw his pillow down the well on Elstow village
green was Ernie Cooper (from a large family of lacemakers) - as he was fed
up with having to attend lace school. I don't suppose children, particularly
boys, would be given any special bobbins to work with.
Diana in Northants
----- Original Message -----
From: "M. L. Mouzon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <lace@arachne.com>
Sent: Friday, October 17, 2008 2:15 PM
Subject: [lace] Harry Armstrong's cottage industry and the Springett's bead
book
I have the edition of "Spangles and Superstitions" that was published in
1987. It was published by C&D Springett, and there is an interesting story
at the very end of the book about the possible end of Harry Armstrong's
equipment...someone told the Springett's that when space was needed for
storage during WWII, that ten truckloads of equipment were removed and
dumped in some nearby sandpits! (another person says they were burned).
The different recollections in the story were about an event that had
happened just about 40 years earlier. (Write down your memories!)
Would love to know what happened to all those patterns and bobbins! (as
well as the pillow, pillow horse, and bobbins that the lad threw into the
pond in the illustration in "Romance of the Lace Pillow") I wonder if
they were special bobbins, like mother & babes, or if they were
utilitarian type bobbins, just to keep lacemakers supplied with something
if they needed it.
I remember Lia Baumeister was given some bobbins that had been discovered
when they were digging during work in Amsterdam. Maybe one day, someone
will discover a treaure trove of similar English bobbins that have
survived at the bottom of a dried up pond or a sand pit... sigh
Debbie in Florida
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