I called in to the Athelstan museum in the centre of Malmesbury yesterday and found Jeanette Williams, sitting with her lacemaker's pillow, hard at work.
Jeanette is an authority on this skilled craft and was happy to show me around the exhibits which tell the story of the town's importance in the industry and its later demise. This was due to the development of the local silk mills, where young girls could earn a better living, and later still the mechanisation of the industry.
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| Story of Lady Suffolk's Lacemaking school |
She is passionate about lace and her enthusiasm comes over in the many stories of the exhibits in the museum.
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| Samples of Malmesbury Lace |
A lace school was established in the early 1900s in Malmesbury, by Lady Suffolk, an American, in an effort to revive the craft. A better price could be got for lace by exporting to the USA and other countries than was possible locally, but the school also failed to thrive in an increasingly industrialised society, where machine produced lace could be made so much faster and cheaper. At one time, lace had been worth more than gold! And the size of a lace collar in the times of Charles I were an indication of the status and wealth of the wearer to be able to afford such luxury!
Malmesbury lace was very fine and made using bobbins without beads, due to their heavier weight, as some laces are made.
Jeanette is a collector of lace and I wondered if she had seen the US stamps from the Folk Art series depicting Lace.This set of 4 x 22c stamps issued in 1987 depict contemporary lace made in Michigan, USA.
Next time I'm in Malmesbury I will take her a set to add to her collection of Lacemaking memorabilia.
Jeanette is usually in the museum on Mondays and is happy to tell visitors about lace and lacemaking.
www.athelstanmuseum.org.uk also has information about the museum and the story of lace.
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