Collection Stories

Explore stories behind the objects and donors from Gawthorpe Textiles Collection.

[gtccollectionstories]

A watch chain with a difference

Item 3428, GTC. Watch chain, donated by the maker’s daughter.

We are all familiar with gold and silver watch chains, but this chain was made by a Lancaster woman for her husband using her own beautiful auburn hair. It has been carefully woven and twisted and is complete with all the original rose gold chased fittings and clasps. This was obviously a treasured possession and must have only been worn on special occasions, as it is in such excellent condition.

The wearing of watch chains was a standard part of men’s dress during the Victorian era. It allowed a watch to be safely tucked into the waistcoat pocket (hence the term “pocket watch”) and prevented it from being accidentally dropped by the owner. It also foiled any pickpockets - like Charles Dickens’s fictional character the ‘Artful Dodger’ in his novel “Oliver Twist”.

The common term for these chains is an “Albert” – named after the Prince Consort, Queen Victoria’s husband, and the presentation watch chain he was given in 1849 by the jewellers of Birmingham. According to Brewer’s Dictionary, this then started a new male fashion.

Chains simply connecting a watch in the waistcoat pocket to a buttonhole are known as a “single Albert” type. However this particular chain is a “double Albert”, having two separate chains and clasps with a central fob attachment. One clasp would be attached to the watch and the other fastened to a trinket (such as a vesta case, a medallion or a seal) in the opposite pocket, so that the two chains were draped across the waistcoat. The ‘T’ shaped "button bar" then went up through one of the buttonholes at the centre front of the waistcoat, to secure the chain and allowing the display of a decorative fob.

Item 3428, detail of central fittings showing the button bar

However, in America these double chains were known as “Dickens chains” – his works were very popular there, especially after his reading tours in the 1860s. He is shown wearing a double watch chain in this portrait taken in New York in 1867 in the link below:

Charles Dickens - National Portrait Gallery

by George Gardner Rockwood albumen carte-de-visite 1867 © National Portrait Gallery, London

It was not unusual to use hair in this way. Throughout the nineteenth century, it was very fashionable to incorporate human hair into sentimental jewellery and accessories, as an external display of both mourning and remembrance. These were made either by professional hair-workers or by amateurs at home - following instructional books like Mrs Speight’s ‘The Lock of Hair’, published in 1871.

Hair jewellery could have a much happier purpose as well:

“... hair was also a reminder of the living and was exchanged between relations, close friends and lovers. In this spirit it was frequently set in more light-hearted rings and lockets or woven into a strong, slender braid suitable for a gentleman’s watch chain.” (P67 Jewels and Jewellery, Clare Phillips)

However, according to the accession records, the donor of this piece said that it had been made by her mother, Edith Gent Smith, about 1924 – at a very much later date, when hair jewellery had not been popular for many years.

So, had Edith followed the modern fashion and had her hair “bobbed” in the short styles of the 1920s? This was a significant decision for many women, who would have worn their hair long since childhood. The donor also said that Edith had made the watch chain for her husband Sydney. Was it perhaps a love token, as well as a lasting reminder of her “crowning glory”?

Item 3428, detail showing the twisted weaving

Of course, this is all just speculation, but what else can we find in the official records about this couple? What is the story behind this beautifully crafted and very personal item?

The history of both of families show significant geographic mobility - presumably in search of work - and there are also links to the cotton textile industry in the North West.

The maker of the chain, Edith Gent Smith (1895-1984) was the daughter of Joseph Gent Webster, a bricklayer, and his wife Frances Parsons. She was born in Preston, although both her parents were originally from the Market Bosworth area in Leicestershire. At the time of the 1891 census, the family was living in Preston, but by 1901 they had moved again, to Lancaster.

In 1911, 14-year-old Edith was working as a “Creeler in Cotton Mill”. A “creel” was a frame holding a number of roving bobbins which fed into the spinning mule, and the creeler’s job was to replace any empty bobbins with full ones. Like hair-work, this was obviously a job which required nimble fingers!

By 1921, Edith, 25, was a “Card Room Worker” at Storrs Bros. Mill in Caton. The card room was where the raw cotton was combed by large carding machines to align the fibres, which produced a much stronger thread when spun. Later that year, she married Sydney Smith, who was a bricklayer, like her father.

Sydney had been born in Lancaster in 1896, but his parents were not local people either – his father (and namesake) was born in Bow, Devon in 1862 and his mother, Mary Ann Johnson, in Bury St Edmunds in 1860. Interestingly, on the 1891 Census, Mary Ann Johnson, 31, “Cotton Weaver”, was then living with her widowed mother and sister in Nile Street, Lancaster and their lodger was none other than Sydney Smith, “Mason”, born in Bow, Devon! Love must have blossomed, as the couple were married by the end of the year…

On the 1911 Census, when the family were living in Nun Street, Lancaster, Sydney H Smith, 49, was listed as a “Mason Journeyman” and his 14-year-old son as an “Apprentice to Stonemason” - most probably to his father. By 1921, Sydney jnr was working as a 'Bricklayer' for R Ward, Builder & Contractor in Aldcliffe.

Item 3428, detail of the central chain attachment used for a fob.

The next time we catch up with Edith and Sydney Smith as a couple is on the 1939 Register. They were now living in Simonstone Lane, Simonstone, Burnley, with their daughters, Mary, 16, Elizabeth, 15, and Doris, 6. Sydney was a “Master Bricklayer, Railway Engineering,” Edith was a housewife (“Unpaid Domestic Duties”) and their eldest daughter, Mary, was a “Cotton Weaver”.

Then we found a report in the Burnley Express, 19 April, 1947, of the marriage of Miss Elizabeth Smith to Petty Officer, George Parker, at St Leonard’s Church, Padiham. Two of the bride’s sisters, Edith and Doris, were bridesmaids. This fourth daughter, Edith, was born in 1928 in Lancaster, and must have been away from home on the night the 1939 Register was taken.

But the newspaper report also revealed that Sydney and Edith were by now landlords of the Simonstone Hotel! The wedding reception was held there, before the happy couple spent their honeymoon in Blackpool. Unusually, the pub must have had its own bowling green, based on the many reports of bowling matches taking place there in subsequent years.

Edith and Sydney’s story was certainly one of mobility – both geographical and social.

Jane H.

REFERENCES:

Jewels and Jewellery: Clare Phillips, V & A Publishing, 2008

How the Watch was worn: A Fashion for 500 Years: Genevieve Cummins, Antique Collectors Club, 2010

[gtccollectionstories]

Research and detective work

There are times when research feels very much like detective work – searching for and finding clues and then making logical connections.

The above photograph was recently donated to the Collection. Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth can clearly be seen seated at her embroidery frame in a sitting room. In addition, two of her signature pieces of embroidery are on the right: one of the hangings from the Huntroyde bed and the Feathers bedspread.

We immediately recognised the work in progress on her embroidery frame from another photograph already in the archives – see below.

Comparing the two, other similarities emerged: the pair of pillars on the sides of the fire surround are in the background, the double-layer table top, the clothes and jewellery Rachel is wearing and also the hanging from the Huntroyde bed to the right of her. So these two photographs were obviously taken in the same location and at the same time.

A clearer view of the work on the embroidery frame(GTC Archives)

Then another clue emerged in Rachel’s Cuttings book. The embroidery frame and a close-up of Rachel’s head are featured in a newspaper article in the News Chronicle & Daily Dispatch, dated 12 April 1956. This provided provenance and a date for both photographs.

But what is even more interesting is that the reporter also described Rachel’s home, and in 1956, she was then living at Holly House in Fence and not at Gawthorpe Hall.

Some extracts from the article:

“ ….. a lifetime of work and enthusiasm is cramped in Holly House, her home in Fence near Burnley. It is a tiny house, but rich like Aladdin’s cave.

A black and gold robe which was once worn by a Taoist monk flaps an airy welcome when the front door opens. The staircase seems to shiver under its weight of embroidery and shawls. There is a purple and gold robe on the sofa which was worn by an actor in old Japan. In the middle of it all Miss Kay-Shuttleworth camps out happily, thinking the best bedroom well lost to the stacks of samples and costumes which have crowded her out!

.... Embroidery isn’t a hobby in Holly House, it is a way of life. Miss Kay-Shuttleworth began to live it when she was 17, and has counted her life in sewing hours since! Six thousand went into the standard she embroidered for the Princess Royal: five years of odd half-hours into the bedspread she embroidered for her own four-poster at Gawthorpe.“

Detail from one of the crewel work hangings for Rachel's four poster bed (GTC)

Rachel lived at Holly House for over ten years, from 1945 until her return to Gawthorpe in 1956-7. Previously we only had written descriptions of Holly House in the archives, but now we have a visual image of the sitting room in her own “wee” house* at Fence, and have found yet another piece in the jigsaw of Rachel’s life.

Jane H

* In a letter to Cuthbert Acland of the National Trust inviting him to lunch, Rachel gave him instructions on how to find Holly House – “It is wee, like a dolls house – porch in front with a window on either side, and almost on the road.”

[gtccollectionstories]

Greek Bebilla and Miss Ionides

Item 860. Detail of a Bebilla sampler, showing the 3-D nature of the motifs. Note the tiny yellow bird perched on the flower and the fish in the background (GTC)

Bebilla (or bibila) is a needlelace made in the Eastern Mediterranean areas of Greece and Turkey (where it is known as “oya”) and also in Cyprus, Crete and Armenia. It was made with white or brightly coloured fine silk thread with a knotted stitch very similar to the fisherman’s knot used for net mending. It is not flat like other laces, but features 3-D designs of flowers, leaves, fruit, birds, animals, fish and landscapes which stand away from the background fabric, as shown in the photograph above.

We have two samplers of bebilla in the Collection and both were donated by Miss Helen Euphrosyne Ionides (1871-1967). Helen and Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth most likely knew each other through the Embroiderers’ Guild - the Guild also received donations of bebilla from her. According to articles in the newspapers in the 1920s, Helen loaned items of bebilla to Bond Street exhibitions and she was obviously very knowledgeable about the history of this particular lace, as can be seen in her written articles.

Helen was one of the eight children of wealthy stockbroker, Constantine Alexander Ionides (1833-1900) and his wife, Agathonike Fenerlis (1841-1920). The Ionides were originally a Greek mercantile family based in Manchester, but later moved into banking and to London. Constantine’s father, Alexander Ionides (1810-1890) was a generous patron of the artist G F Watts and he commissioned a series of family portraits from him. One was of Helen (in 1881, age 10) and this is now in the V&A:

Helen Euphrosyne Ionides | Watts, George Frederick (OM, RA) | V&A Explore The Collections

Oil painting on canvas, 'Helen Euphrosyne Ionides', George Frederick Watts, 1881

Helen’s father, Constantine, is best remembered for the bequest of his huge art collection to the V&A in 1900 - which included paintings (both contemporary and old masters), drawings and prints. The wider Ionides family lived in the Holland Park area and were connected with the artistic circles of the day, including Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Morris, Whistler, Legros and Watts. Both of Constantine’s two younger brothers, Luke and Alecco, were art collectors and patrons as well.

Recent research has uncovered a letter from Helen Ionides to Rachel, dated 15th August 1956. Although it is mainly in response to a request for background information about another lace donation by Helen’s mother, at the end of the letter she writes: “I shall be very pleased to show you my collection of Bebilla’s when you are in London and give you some examples. I return there in the middle of September.” See below. Presumably this refers to the donation of the two samplers now in the Collection. Both still have their original labels attached, in Helen's handwriting.

Extract from the 1956 letter from Helen Ionides to Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth. She also praises the series of articles on the history of lace Rachel had written for the Guild in the early 1950s - “ Just what is needed to interest the young in the lovely art.” (GTC)

Item 860, the original donor label. Helen was awarded an M.B.E. in 1919 for her work as a Unit Administrator in Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps during the 1st World War. (GTC)

Helen was also the author of a detailed, illustrated article about bebilla in the Embroiderer's Guild’s journal ‘Embroidery’ in September 1937, from which the following extracts are taken:

“The Bebilla is worked with a needle in white or coloured silks, rarely cotton. It is used as a trimming for the edges of shirts, cuffs, collars, scarves and head-dresses, the width according to the wealth of the wearer...”

“It is not surprising that Bebilla stitch should attract the women of Greece. It is an admirable medium for illustrating the abundance and variety of flowers in the spring of that country. Very naturally the women...copied what their eyes could see, the foundation being the brown earth with grass and flowers growing out of it.

Item 859, detail of flowers (GTC)

"Brilliant sunshine was a further asset, for without good light the making of such delicate work would be difficult if not impossible…”

"The Bebilla knot may be a fisherman’s net knot…..it is worked from left to right, with the needle facing away from the worker. The first row is stitched on to the extreme edge of the material, or on to a horsehair foundation, which gives firmness and support."

There are two further points of interest in the article. Firstly, Helen wrote “In 1860, during an influx of refugees to Constantinople, the ladies of the various Embassies and Legations interested themselves in providing work for the women. A great deal of embroidery and Bebilla was made.” This appears to be particularly relevant to Helen’s own bebilla collection when you know that her parents were married in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) in 1860! Perhaps some of her bebilla pieces were originally wedding presents? They also lived in Constantinople until 1864, when Constantine brought his family back to England.

However, the second point is even more interesting, especially when you look closely at the photographs of one sampler - see below.

Helen wrote: “It would be interesting to count the various flowers recorded in Bebilla embroidery. Animals and fish are more rarely used, the bold worker who produced a lion amongst her flowers had a lively imagination. “

Item 860. The bottom section of the sampler showing the lion amongst the flowers. (GTC)

Item 860, detail of the lion

So, presumably this lion was produced by the "bold worker" with a "lively imagination"?

However, we do know that this lion is not unique. In another article written by Helen ("Greek Bebilla Lace" published in "The Embroideress" magazine, c1924) she included a photograph of another piece of bebilla then in her collection. This also featured a lion, quite similar in design, and there may be others we do not know of. Helen said that nearly all the bebilla lace in this country was in private collections at that time, with very little in museums, and that is still relevant today.

Jane H.

REFERENCES:

Embroidery Journal, Sept 1937 (P77-79 plus plates)

The Embroideress, P153-4

Antique Lace: Identifying Types and Techniques: Heather Toomer, Schiffer, 2001

Lace from the Victoria and Albert Museum: Clare Brown, V & A Publications, 2004

Embroidered Treasures: Flowers. Exquisite Needlework of the Embroiderer’s Guild Collection: Dr Annette Collinge, Search Press Ltd, 2018

[gtccollectionstories]

A precious Indian shawl

One corner of the shawl. Note the significant wear of the embroidered arcaded fringe (12350, GTC)

This Indian shawl belonged to Rachel’s mother, Blanche, Lady Shuttleworth. It came into the Collection in 1921, and was a prized family possession. Rachel wrote on her label that it had always been used as a rug (or throw) on Blanche’s sofa, and that the edges had been worn away by at least an inch in the years since her childhood. This constant use is also indicated by her comment that it “had been previously patched in places on the back with black cloth by one of Lady S’s ladies maid, for the black is now transparent.”

Rachel identified this as an “Amli” shawl, made in Kashmir before 1850, using the finest pashmina wool - spun from the soft under-wool of Tibetan and Ladakh goats. Measuring 1956 x 2057mm, the main colour is a rich red with a black centre, and the intricate design also features patterns in blue, turquoise, green, yellow and white.

She described the overall design on her index card: “...The centre is black, which can be traced outwards amongst the many coloured patches of divers shapes. The corners repeat, as do the centres of each side, & the pattern has great life and rhythm. The tiny Ed borders & flowers are so ingeniously planned that their colours frequently conceal the joins between the patches causing a rich blending”

The shawl is specifically mentioned in an article in the Burnley Express, 6 Aug 1960: “One of the most valuable of her shawls is a cashmere one which belonged to her mother, Blanche, Lady Shuttleworth, composed of thousands of tiny pieces of patchwork, hardly the size of a fingernail, mounted on the underwool of Tibetan goats.”

Detail of Item 12350, GTC.

The traditional loom-woven Kashmiri shawls were very time-consuming and expensive to make, and their production was heavily taxed and tightly controlled. Needle-embroidered Amli shawls were developed in the early 1800s as a cheaper alternative. This particular shawl has an inlaid patchwork construction applied onto a black background. There are hundreds of tiny, individually-shaped pieces, embroidered and stitched together with minute stitches in a very fine thread. The joins between pieces have been concealed by embroidering over them as well.

Rachel wrote more about the shawl in her 1950s catalogue:

“An “inset (patchwork) embroidered shawl. This rare specimen is similar to those treasured by the great Indian princes. It is of superb design. 8 great groups of arabesque-like forms made in patchwork of fine many-coloured Kashmir, and finely embroidered all over. The arcaded edge is frayed. Prior to 1850, but may be considerably older. Belonged to Blanche, Lady Shuttleworth, and was probably brought back from India by her half-brother, General Parish. 6ft 3in x 6ft 3in. Now very fragile. Black, red, turquoise, yellow, green and white colours.”

Detail of Item 12350, GTC.

She had obviously consulted the books in her library when compiling the catalogue, and one in particular – “Quilts and their Story and how to make them”. This was one of the first American books to study quilt history, and was written by Marie D. Webster (1859-1956). Marie was an amateur quilt designer in the 1900s, but would later run a successful mail-order quilt pattern business in Indiana.

“Quilts and their story” was originally published in 1915, but went into many reprints. Rachel's copy was the 1948 edition, and it comes as no surprise to find that it has been annotated by her, and includes an interesting aside! See below:

Rachel’s annotation on P24 of “Quilts and their story, and how to make them” (GTC Library Collection)

Transcript of the annotation: “A magnificent shawl which belonged to Blanche, Lady Shuttleworth of Paisley design is entirely inset. Mr Jacoby* also owns some.

Lady S. had a belief that Joseph’s ‘coat of many colours’ was worked by this means, hence its choiceness & value - & the consequent jealousy of his brothers.”

*John Jacoby (1869-1953) was an expert lace and embroidery collector, and he was also Rachel's friend. Born in Manchester, he ran his family's lace-importing business, and inherited the lace collection of his uncle, Leopold Iklé. In 1954 the Iklé collection, together with Jacoby’s own collection, was donated to the Textile Museum at St Gallen in Switzerland.

In her card index of donors to the Collection, Rachel wrote the following about Mr Jacoby:

“His knowledge was vast, & many researches were done by him & RBKS. He loved lace & was donor of a number of pieces to her collection – a very generous man. When he had a wonderful Exhibition in M/c at the Whitworth, it was arranged by Fraulein Marie Schuette, & RBKS was the opener – which she felt was a great privilege.”

Rachel's catalogue entry says that the shawl was probably a gift from Blanche’s half-brother, Henry Woodbine Parish (1821-1890). Their father, Sir Woodbine Parish had married twice, and produced a large family, with a total of 13 children.

Blanche was the youngest daughter from his second marriage to Louisa Hubbard, whereas Henry was the eldest son from his first marriage to Amelia Morse. However, as Henry's photograph appears in Blanche’s personal album, this would suggest a close link between the two half-siblings - despite the large age difference.

Photograph of Major General Henry Parish C. B., taken from Blanche’s personal album. (Courtesy of the Shuttleworth family)

Henry served in the 45th Foot Regiment. He enlisted with the Sherwood Foresters at the age of eighteen, and his many foreign postings included South Africa, the West Indies and Abyssinia. He was serving in Madras, India in the early 1870s . He retired in 1880 with the rank of Major General.

Jane H.

A card featuring the Amli shawl is available to buy from our online shop:

Greetings Cards — Gawthorpe Textiles Collection

Gawthorpe Textiles Greetings Cards, designs inspired by the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection archive.

REFERENCES:

Marie D Webster: Quilts, their Story and how to make them. Doubleday, Page & Company, New York, 1915

John Gillow & Nicholas Barnard: Traditional Indian Textiles. Thames & Hudson, 1993

E Kay Kohler: The legendary John Jacoby: Obituary, in Embroidery Journal, Spring 1954

[gtccollectionstories]

Embroidered by Rachel’s “Aunt Puss”

Item 4603, cushion cover panel. Design of anemones, ferns and leaves stitched in coloured wools with silk highlights on dark blue wool serge. GTC

There is no recorded donor for this embroidered panel, but it is very likely to have been inherited by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth, as it originally belonged to her parents, and also has a close family connection. In addition, Rachel did not identify the donor in her attached label, which further suggests that it was a personal item. She writes that it was a cushion cover, made as part of a bedroom “suite” by “Miss Janet E. Kay-Shuttleworth”.

Janet Elizabeth Kay-Shuttleworth (1843-1914) was Sir Ughtred’s only sister, and Rachel’s aunt. She never married and was affectionately known within the family as “Aunt Puss”.

Item 4603, label. Written by Rachel in her characteristic green ink!

The label says that the anemones were based on the ones growing in Janet’s own garden at Chalet Ponente in San Remo, Italy. Rachel also wrote that the suite consisted of curtains, chair covers and a bed back. She described the other designs used in the suite - “The curtains had arums and roses, the chairs honeysuckle (Lady S’s family badge) etc. The bed back, roses and honeysuckle & the date & coronet”. This symbolic use of the honeysuckle flower relates to Blanche, Lady Shuttleworth being from the Woodbine-Parish family, as honeysuckle was also known as woodbine.

Item 4603, details. GTC

Janet Elizabeth (or "Jenny") was the eldest child of Sir James and Janet Kay-Shuttleworth. She spent most of her life living abroad - as the only daughter in the family, she was expected to accompany her mother on her frequent visits to European health spas. Rachel said that "she could speak French, German and Italian beautifully".

Janet became permanently resident in Italy from 1864, when her mother had a villa and small chalet built in San Remo. After Lady Kay-Shuttleworth’s death in 1872, it was assumed that Janet would return to England to care for her father, but she said that the mild climate was equally beneficial for her own delicate health and moved into the smaller Chalet Ponente. Janet had also been left financially independent by her mother, which allowed her to live there for the rest of her life.

Undated photograph of the Chalet and Villa Ponente in San Remo. (Courtesy of the Shuttleworth family.)

Janet still made frequent trips to see her relatives in England. She was especially close to Sir Ughtred and his family, and she regularly appears in the Visitors’ Book for Gawthorpe Hall and Barbon. She liked to spend winter and spring in the mild climate of San Remo, and usually came to England during the summer. She would also travel to Germany in the summer months, where she had many friends.

During the extensive research undertaken for Rachel’s new biography, ‘Undaunted’, two previously unknown photographs of Janet Elizabeth were discovered. Both were taken at Fingest Grove, the home of Angela James, Rachel’s eldest sister. She appears with her niece, Angela and her four daughters - who were Janet’s great-nieces. The one below is clearly dated "July 1913" and was pasted into the Visitors Book for Fingest Grove, where the James family had moved in 1912.

The second photograph is in another album which originally belonged to Janet James. Both “Aunt Puss” and Angela are identified, but only one of the children is named - the owner of the album, Janet James. Presumably she had been named after this great-aunt, and also in remembrance of her great-grandmother?

Photograph in the Fingest Grove Visitors' book, July 1913. Angela James is seated on the extreme right. Janet James (age 7, born 1906) is identified as the child sitting on a footstool in front of “Aunt Puss” in the centre, who is dressed in black and wearing a bonnet. Working from the date written on the photograph: the baby on Angela’s lap must be Phillippa (who was born 15 April 1913) and the small child on the left is Diana (age 2, born 1911) who is seated on her sister Nina’s knee (age 13, born 1900). (Courtesy of the Newbery family)

Looking in the Gawthorpe & Barbon Visitors’ Book for 1913, Janet had made the most of her time with her family in England that year. She also stayed at Gawthorpe in July, before returning to Fingest Grove on 9th August. She then travelled to her brother Ughtred’s house at Barbon in September.

Janet arrived there on September 17th and Lady Blanche has written in brackets after her name - “her last visit, died May 17 in Germany 1914”. So these two photographs may be some of the last images taken of Janet Elizabeth with her family, as she died less than a year later.

The report of Janet’s death in the Burnley News, 20 May 1914, noted that having been taken “seriously ill” at San Remo, she had “travelled slowly with a nurse” to Badenweiler in the Black Forest. Presumably this was in hope of a cure, as it was a health resort and spa, known for its warm mineral springs and equable climate. She was visited there by Sir Ughtred, Lady Blanche, Rachel and Catherine and also by her younger brother, Robert.

But her health did not improve, and Janet died, aged 71, on 17th May 1914 at Badenweiler. She was buried in Germany with her mother at Bad Soden.

Jane H.

Also see link below, for more about the Kay-Shuttleworth family in San Remo:

Lady Janet Kay-Shuttleworth, Edward Lear, & San Remo

Author: Rachel Pollitt, Museum Manager Gawthorpe Hall. The 12th May is annual ‘Limerick Day’: the anniversary of Edward Lear’s birth and the

REFS:

R J W Selleck: James Kay-Shuttleworth: Journey of an Outsider, Woburn Press, 1994

Frank Smith: The Life and Work of Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, John Murray, 1923

[gtccollectionstories]

Tree of Life designs

Item 1431, bottom section showing the lion, fawn and peacock, GTC

This is the bottom section of a large rectangular panel featuring a 'Tree of Life' design, which has been beautifully worked in metal thread and raised silk embroidery. Described by Rachel as being Persian in origin, it was presented to her in 1945 by the Commissioners of the Blackburn Rural Division of Girl Guides, as a gift to celebrate the “Victory Year” of WW2.

In 1945, Rachel had moved out of Gawthorpe Hall and was living at Holly House in Fence. Two years later, she would also step down as the Guides County Commissioner, in order to fully concentrate on her Craft House ambitions.

The “Tree of Life” is a centuries-old symbolic design which featured in the art of many different cultures and religions. Although there are individual and culturally-specific interpretations, it essentially represented the source of life and the harmony and interconnection between all creatures.

Worked on cream satin, the panel is also backed by a cheesecloth fabric, which provides extra strength and support for the heavy metallic threads and padded figures. Measuring 106 by 55 cm, the panel has a Tree of Life design with the figures of a lion, fawn, peacock and bird, together with leaves and brightly-coloured exotic flowers on the numerous flowing branches.

Item 1431, part of the top section with flowers, bird and label, GTC

Rachel wrote on her Index Card: “This Persian piece is splendidly worked in glowing floss silks & metal threads of various types. There is bullion and also spangles. Note the stitchery of the tree trunk, & the hillocks on which the lion is playing with the fawn, also the fine gold couching of the lion’s body. The stitchery & colours of the peacock’s tail is also most effective."

Item 1431, detail of lion, GTC

Item 1431, detail of peacock, GTC

She also wrote “This ancient design full of symbolism makes superb designs” and she advised comparison with the other items in the Collection featuring the Tree of Life design - including her own designs for the crewel work bedspread, hangings and pelmet made for the four-poster bed in the Huntroyde Room (see below.)

Although Rachel's work has many design similarities with the Persian panel, it is a very different interpretation, being worked in crewel wool in the Jacobean style. This was a deliberate choice, as Rachel wanted her work to be historically compatible with the age of the bed, which was thought to date from 1650.

One of Rachel’s crewelwork hangings, showing her own “Tree of Life” design.

Rachel spent a long time researching at the V&A and the Royal School of Needlework to source an appropriate design. She started her project in 1908, but the bedspread, hangings and pelmet were not finally completed until the end of WW1.

Obviously, this project was completed many years before the presentation of the Persian panel, but Rachel was very proud of it and the piece would have been well known to the Guides and all her friends. So, perhaps it had been influential in their choice of a particularly appropriate gift for her?

Jane H

[gtccollectionstories]

A gift of Swiss flowers

Item 15383, GTC

This very simply constructed jacket belonged to Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth. Made from bottle-green wool felt with a ‘V’ shaped neckline, it is unlined and collarless, without any front fastenings. The sleeves are full length and slightly bell-shaped. The main part of the jacket is completely plain, which offsets the colourful design of appliquéd felt flowers, stems and leaves stitched along the front edges. Some of the flowers are also three-dimensional. The flowers and leaves have been enhanced with simple embroidery stitches such as French knots, running stitch and stem stitch.

The brightly coloured flowers include yellow daffodils and white jonquils, red and white tulips, primula and auricula, muscari, blue gentians, carnation, cyclamen and crocus. There is also a small blue butterfly amongst the flowers.

Although we do not know exactly when this jacket was given to Rachel, it was listed in her 1958 catalogue and her label reads:

The felt flowers are Swiss, and were made and embroidered for RBKS by her cousin, Dame Katharine Furse, G.B.E. - head of the WRENS [sic] in the 1st World War. Dame K. F. married Charles Furse, R.A. who painted her as “Diana of the Uplands”. As a girl she lived in Switzerland with her father, John Addington Symonds, and learnt to carve. She carved many frames for her husband’s paintings.

Item 15383, detail of jacket front edges, GTC

Katharine Furse, nee Symonds (1875-1952) was the youngest of the four daughters of the poet, critic and writer, John Addington Symonds (1840-1893) and Janet Catherine North (1837-1913) – who was the half-sister of Rachel’s paternal grandmother, Janet Kay-Shuttleworth. In another family connection, Katharine's older sister, Charlotte, married Walter Leaf in 1894, and they were the parents of Charles Symonds Leaf - the future husband of Catherine Kay-Shuttleworth (Rachel's youngest sister).

The Symonds family travelled widely in Europe, where it was much cheaper to live than in England, but also for health reasons. In 1877, they decided to live permanently in Switzerland, as both John and eldest daughter, Janet, had TB. There was no effective medical treatment at that time, but the clean, fresh Alpine air was thought to be particularly beneficial. They built a large chalet house (‘Am Hof’) in Davos. This was where Katharine grew up, and where she learnt to wood-carve, and also inherited her love of alpine flowers from her mother.

Sadly, not only would both her sister and father die of TB, but also her future husband, the portrait artist, Charles Wellington Furse (1868-1904). Katharine was left a widow with two small sons after only four years of marriage, and Charles died just three days after the birth of their younger son. She did not re-marry.

During their brief time together, Katharine had carved the frames for some of her husband’s paintings, and the Collection also holds a portfolio of her designs and drawings (see below). Katherine was a very competent artist herself as well - which is not surprising as her maternal aunt was the botanical artist, Marianne North.

The design for the frame of “Diana of the Uplands” is annotated at the bottom left. In her autobiography, Katharine wrote about making a mistake when measuring the canvas. This resulted in the frame being too small at first, and the design had to be altered to make it larger (P222) (Box 848, GTC).

This second image shows that the design had been drawn on the back of a letter from Debenham & Freebody regarding the refurbishing of a hat! (Box 848, GTC)

Rachel had the rather odd habit of removing the dust jackets from books in her library, and then clipping and pasting them inside the book. This is true of her personal copy of Katharine’s autobiography, “Hearts and Pomegranates”. The title and image of “Diana of the Uplands” from the original dust jacket, has been pasted on to the inside front cover, opposite the dedication on the flyleaf (see below). Being chosen for the front cover of her autobiography must show just how important this painting was to Katharine. It is now in the Tate, see link below.

Rachel’s personal copy of “Hearts & Pomegranates”, dedicated to her by Katharine.

“Hearts and Pomegranates” records a very interesting life, both as a child and an adult. She ends her recollections in 1920, but with the promise of a second volume. However, this was never published - presumably because WW2 intervened. "Hearts and Pomegranates" (published in 1940) had also been edited down, due to the wartime paper shortage.

Katharine became a pioneer of women’s services, and held a prominent role during WW1 as nursing administrator for the Red Cross and VADs . She also laid the basis for the female naval service that would later become the WRNS in WW2. In 1917, she was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire for her work during the war.

She was also the first director of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (from 1928-38) and, like Rachel, became a friend of Olave Baden-Powell. Katharine wrote in her autobiography: "....this experience has helped me to maintain, through thick and thin, my belief in the possibility of eventually achieving understanding between peoples." (P.396)

On a less serious note, Katharine was an expert skier and tobogganer (a direct result of being brought up in Switzerland) and in the post-war years she worked with the travel agents later known as Lunn Poly to popularise winter sports with British tourists.

Jane H.

REFERENCES:

Hearts and Pomegranates: Katharine Furse, Peter Davies Ltd, London, 1940

Artist: The Life and Work of C W Furse: D J Leighton, Hydrangea Publishing, 2011

Also see:

National Portrait Gallery:

Dame Katharine Furse - National Portrait Gallery

by George Charles Beresford dry-plate glass negative 1918 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Tate Gallery:

‘Diana of the Uplands‘, Charles Wellington Furse, 1903–4 | Tate

‘Diana of the Uplands‘, Charles Wellington Furse, 1903–4

[gtccollectionstories]

A Spanish Lace Mantilla

Item 27136, detail. GTC

This is a detail of a silk blonde lace mantilla donated by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth in 1960. Dating from c1840, it is described on her index card as: “Great black mantilla. Sevilla and Churriguerra rococo design. A very handsome design of shell and floral forms”. “Churriguerra” refers to the late 17th and early 18th century rococo style of the Churriguera architectural family, who were known for their florid Baroque decorative detailing, found in churches and palaces in Spain.

We do not know exactly how Rachel had obtained this piece - at the bottom of her large, handwritten label it simply says “acquired by RBKS 1960”.

Spanish blonde lace is a bobbin lace made using two thicknesses of silk thread, the finer for the ground and the thicker for the design. It was a soft lace which draped well, making it ideal for mantillas, shawls, veils and flounces, and could be black or white. As large areas were required, it had to be worked in 4 inch/102mm wide strips and then invisibly joined. Before the introduction of machine-made lace, the main centre of production was in Catalonia, mostly in Barcelona, and in La Mancha in Castile, but it was also imported from France.

The earliest lace mantillas date from the end of the 16th century, and at that time could only be worn by elite noblewomen. They later became more widely used as a female head-covering in church, and evolved into a recognised part of the Spanish national costume. From the 19th century onwards, a large tortoiseshell comb (or peineta) was also worn – both to hold the hair in place and to create the illusion of extra height for the wearer. Mantillas are still worn for special occasions such as weddings and Holy Week processions, for mourning and also by traditional flamenco dancers.

Item 27136, Rachel's label, GTC

Rachel followed a comprehensive accessioning system for the items coming into her collection. First they were entered into the handwritten Accession Register and given a number within the sequence which identified the year of donation and categorised by type (eg. COS for Costume, LA for Lace). They were measured and described in detail, sometimes with a brief anecdote or biography related to the item or donor. A label was written and attached to the item - but not usually as large or as detailed as the one for the mantilla! (See image above) In addition, Rachel would complete an individual index card, which was then further cross-referenced. All of this information was recorded with the future students of her “Craft House” firmly in mind.

Rachel’s label has a line drawing of the shape of the mantilla complete with specific measurements. She noted that it was made from separate pieces, and wondered how it might have been worn - “The top piece is presumably over the head & ?over face? and the great flounce falls gracefully down the sides & across the back.” This is confirmed by Pat Earnshaw's “Lace in Fashion” in the caption for a photograph of another mantilla of the same shape: “The rectangle would rise over the tall comb, and the flounced oval would be wrapped around the shoulders and crossed at the front. Mid-nineteenth century or earlier.” (P94)

The page numbers listed on the label for “May” refer to “Hispanic Lace and Lace Making” by Florence Lewis May, first published in New York in 1939 by the Trustees of the Hispanic Society of America. Rachel's own personal copy is in the Library at Gawthorpe, and she has written next to two photographs of very similar mantillas on P230: "See one in the RBKS Collection". This book was obviously a well-used reference source, as she has also written a long list of Spanish lace terms and their translations on the blank flyleaf pages at the back of the book.

Being a lace-maker herself, Rachel was adept at recognising skilled work. She must have considered this mantilla to be an important addition to her collection, as it was included in her 1967 catalogue for the National Trust, where it was described as: “Silk bobbin lace of fine pattern; it was made in several pieces; the many yards of deep flouncing make it very graceful to wear.”

Photograph of the mantilla in Rachel's 1967 Catalogue for the National Trust, GTC

The photograph had also been used in a Burnley Express article on 25 March 1961 - “MORE NEEDLEWORK GEMS FOR THE GAWTHORPE COLLECTION” - which we found in Rachel’s Cuttings Book. In the long list of donations, it says: “Miss Kay-Shuttleworth herself has presented a superb Spanish black mantilla of curious shape, with a deep frill measuring six yards long, and which drapes in wonderfully graceful folds.” The caption for the photograph also reads: "This black silk lace shawl has a frill which is six yards long and 13 inches deep. Modelled by a visitor to the hall, the mantilla falls in graceful sweeps from the shoulders, showing to wonderful effect the delightful Seville Rococo design”.

Interestingly, the flounce appears to have lost a yard in length, when compared to the label!

Jane H

REFERENCES:

Lace in Fashion: From the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Pat Earnshaw, Batsford, 1985

A Dictionary of Lace. Pat Earnshaw. Shire, 1984

The Identification of Lace. Pat Earnshaw, Shire, 1994

Hispanic Lace and Lace Making. Florence Lewis May, Trustees of the Hispanic Society of America, 1939.

Antique Lace: Identifying Types and Techniques. Heather Toomer, Schiffer Books, 2001.

Victorian Lace. Patricia Wardle, Herbert Jenkins, 1982

[gtccollectionstories]

Edwardian Holidays

Item 27642, GTC

This small ivory brisé fan, painted in the ‘Vernis Martin’ style, belonged to Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth. The main design features a courting couple (wearing 18th century dress) in a garden setting, framed by floral swags and a blue and gold border. There is a design of dainty floral sprigs on the reverse. The sticks and decorated guards are held in place by a diamante rivet and a painted ribbon is threaded through the individual leaves to hold them together.

Rachel wrote on her label that she had bought this fan in 1910 in Wiesbaden - a fashionable spa town in Hesse, Germany, known for its hot thermal springs and patronised by European royalty such as the German Kaiser and Empress, the King of Denmark and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Rachel’s photograph albums feature many family holidays taken in Europe and Britain before the 1st World War. Some trips were just for pleasure, but others were to spa towns and resorts in search of health cures – to places such as Wiesbaden.

We know that Lady Blanche had suffered from gout, and Sir Ughtred from chronic chest infections. In the days before antibiotics, the only available treatments (if you were wealthy!) were holidays in a warmer climate or the water-cure treatments at thermal baths and spas. This is a typical British newspaper advertisement of that time, taken from the Lincolnshire Echo, 28 April 1903:

On an earlier trip to Wiesbaden in 1904, Rachel recorded in one of her albums that they had stayed at the Hotel Rose - which is still open today. This postcard of Hotel Rose, from the early 1900s, shows that the baths and thermal springs were very conveniently situated for their guests, being just a short walk away and directly in front of the hotel. The sign for the Hotel Rose can be seen above the roof on the left and the Spa complex is the long low building on the right, facing on to the wooded park:

Postcard of the Hotel Rose, Wiesbaden.

The album page below shows that during their stay in 1904, Rachel and her parents had attended the opera at the Konigliche Theatre, had been to the Residenz-Theater and also visited tourist attractions such as the Greek Chapel. She has also written “M consults with Dr Prof Pagenstecher”. The Professor was a renowned oculist who had treated Queen Victoria in 1900. However, the Professor had travelled all the way to Balmoral to see his royal patient, rather than the Queen going to see him in Wiesbaden!

Page from Rachel’s album, 1904.

In the bottom right hand corner Rachel has written a list of the people they had met on this trip to Wiesbaden, which includes a ‘Miss Cole’. At a later date, Rachel has very helpfully added in pencil, “later Mrs Neville Chamberlain”. This was Anne de Vere Cole (1882-1967) who married the future Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain in 1911.

Rachel and Anne obviously continued their friendship, as shown by this brief newspaper paragraph written more than forty years later:

In an interesting aside, Anne's older brother was Horace de Vere Cole (1881-1936). He led quite an eccentric life and was a notorious prankster. He is best known for the Dreadnought Hoax in 1910, which also involved a young Virginia Woolf and her brother, Adrian Stephen.

See: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp89886/william-horace-de-vere-cole

Jane H.

[gtccollectionstories]

Rachel and Marriage Quilts

There is a signed copy of Averil Colby’s book “Patchwork” (Batsford, 1958) in the Library - which was presumably presented to Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth by the author. We know that Rachel had helped Averil with her research, as she has glued their correspondence into the back of the book. Rachel has also written many related notes and stories in the margins, and below her name written on the flyleaf is the phrase “who has added sundry notes”. Looking through the book, this is definitely true, as Rachel and her notes really were a librarian's nightmare!

In the blank space at the end of the index, Rachel has written a story about her personal experience of marriage quilts:

Transcript: “An old tenant in Colliery Cottage was devoted to the Kay-Shuttleworth family & showed it in loyal gifts of Quilts at their weddings. Angela Mary was m to Capt B R James in _ & received a large crazy quilt. Nina Louisa was m to Eustace G Hills in _ & received another enriched with gay bundles of sarsenet ribbons round the edge. It looked particularly charming in their thatched country cottage at Aston Tyrold. One was then made for Rachel Beatrice, but Lawrence Ughtred was the next to wed, m 1913 Selina Adine Bridgeman, so he had it. A 2nd was made for RBKS, but it was Captain Edward James who married next to Sibell Adeane, so he was the recipient. For the 3rd time another was made, but her youngest sister Catherine Blanche m to Lt Charles Symonds Leaf in 1917 received it. Soon after RBKS met the old lady in her neat black bonnet and best jet trimmed mantle, and was told – “Three times ‘ave Hi worked quilts for ye, hand heach time anoother as ad hit – Now Hi knows ye’ll never marry but stay at whoam to take care o’ t’owd folks, so you’re aving a fireside rug.” And it came, worked with black shaggy wool & in t’centre HOME SWEET HOME in red (for home) and green (for sweet)”

[NOTE: Angela had married in 1899 and Nina in 1910.]

The old lady 's prediction was correct - Rachel never married and did "stay at whoam" to look after her parents, until her father's death in 1939. We have no idea what happened to the rug however.....

Marriage quilts and coverlets were traditionally made by brides-to-be (or their families) as part of their dowry, for future use on the bed in the marital home. In some areas, the making of marriage quilts was a group activity. Hearts, baskets and lovers knots were popular North country motifs.

Rachel designed a bedcover for her sister Catherine's marriage to Charles Symonds Leaf in 1917, which featured a flowing design of virginia creeper leaves - being a deliberate reference to Catherine's future surname. It was a true family piece, as their mother, Lady Blanche, and older sister, Nina, then embroidered the design on apricot poplin silk in "glorious autumnal colours to tone with the bride's pure gold hair." A number of fragments of this bedcover have survived and were donated to the Collection in 1953.

Items 4608-14, detail and Rachel label

Transcript of Rachel's label: "Two small pieces from a bedspread embroidered for the Hon. Catherine Kay-Shuttleworth on her marriage to Charles S LEAF. The design by her sister RBKS, worked by her mother Blanche, Lady S and her sister Nina L. Hills. Each section was fagotted to the next. The layout being worked in 5 large panels. On the centre one under the blue ribbon bow:

CBKS - CSL

August 22

1917

in cream raised letters. Every shade of autumn colour glowed on the apricot silk. Mrs Leaf had lovely golden hair."

We have another example of a marriage quilt in the Collection. A pair of patchwork and applique coverlets were donated in 1964. Both were made by Nancy Horsfall; they are dated and have embroidered verses. The larger one, dated 1833, was made for her marriage, and the second one, embroidered with “Welcome Sweet Babe” and dated 1834, was in preparation for the birth of her first child.

Rachel’s label for the child's coverlet reads: “Child’s patchwork bedspread by Nancy Horsfall who had previously made a larger and similar one for her wedding in the year before. In 1834 she made the little quilt and on it she welcomes her baby in verse.”

Both coverlets can be seen in our online gallery via the links below:

Gawthorpe Textiles Collection Online Gallery

Patchwork and appliqué coverlet made by Nancy Horsfall for her wedding, 1833 The design is a very typical early 19th century frame layout w

Gawthorpe Textiles Collection Online Gallery

Patchwork and appliqué cot coverlet by Nancy Horsfall, 1834 White linen ground with appliqué motifs including stylised leaves or branches, s

Jane H.

REFERENCES:

Patchwork, Averil Colby, Batsford, 1958

Quilts, 1700-2010: Hidden Histories, Untold Stories, Ed. Sue Prichard, V&A Publishing, 2010

19th Century Embroidery Techniques, Gail Marsh, Guild of Master Craftsman Publications, 2008

[gtccollectionstories]

Needlework tools and etuis

20294, ivory etui with scissors and thimble

"Etuis" or "necessaires" were small cases specially designed for the safe carrying of needlework tools outside the home. Being so much smaller than work boxes or sewing tables, they contained only the essentials - usually a pair of scissors and a thimble, and sometimes a needlecase or a bodkin or a stiletto. Originally manufactured in France (as indicated by the name) they were popular gifts and souvenirs for travellers.

The most common type of etui was a flat box in a variety of shapes and made from materials including wood, leather, mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell. Another popular design in the second half of the nineteenth century was a cube-shaped box (usually in tooled leather) containing scissors, a needlecase and a thimble and a few other small accessories. This was called a "Lady's Companion", and was often shaped like a small book, with the name embossed on the spine.

20294, exterior and Rachel label

This etui measures just 8.5 x 4cm, and was donated in 1945 by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth. It is made from solid ivory with gilt hinges and has recesses in the bottom half and in the lid to house a tiny pair of gilt scissors and a matching thimble. It is typical of those made from 1840 onwards. Although this style of etui was manufactured in England as well, the decoration on the scissors would suggest that this one is possibly French.

Both the scissors and thimble have obviously been well used, as the gilt is very worn in places and one of the tips of the scissors has broken off.

20294, scissors

The exterior of the etui is very smooth and highly polished with an ivory push-button fastening. Being small and neat and taking up very little space, it would have been slipped into an embroidery work-bag and carried by the owner when out visiting.

This ivory etui is quite an early design, as acknowledged by the label. And as Rachel was not born until 1886, it is most likely that it had belonged to someone else before her. It may have been given to her by an older relative or friend, or she might simply have found it in an antique shop...

Rachel with her embroidery frame. Note one of the hangings from the Huntroyde bed is on the right. (GTC Archives)

In the photograph above , you can see that there is a fabric case next to Rachel, together with her scissors and the case for her thimble - a protective case was needed for this as it was inlaid with turquoises. Fabric cases like these were known as "hussifs", and they were often homemade as personal gifts. They folded or rolled up and had several internal stitched pockets and loops and typically contained a pair of scissors, together with needles, pins and threads.

Rachel always carried her needlework tools with her, as she liked to be able to work on her projects at every opportunity. She recorded that the Huntroyde bedspread, pelmet and hangings had been completed in "largely odd minutes and some midnight oil".

Jane H.

REFERENCES:

Antique Needlework Tools and Embroideries: Nerylla Taunton, Antique Collectors Club, 1997

Sewing Accessories: An Illustrated History: Victor Houart, Souvenir Press, 1984

An Illustrated History of Needlework Tools: Gay Ann Rogers, John Murray, 1983

[gtccollectionstories]

A linen smock

18257, Linen smock frock. 19th century.

This linen smock was donated by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth. We do not know exactly when she acquired it, but it is listed in her 1958 catalogue. She recorded that the smock was from the South-West of England, possibly Dorset, and dated from the 19th century.

"Smock frocks" developed from the more generalised construction of a man’s shirt, and their use as an outer work garment was at its height between 1800 and 1870.

Rachel also wrote that the embroidered tree symbols on the front identified this as a forester’s smock: these can be seen in the detail photograph below. This symbolism was once thought to have been of use at hiring fairs, but this is now discredited - although some smocks were specific to certain occupations, such as blue smocks for butchers.

Smocks were worn by the early navvies constructing the railways and canals up to the 1840s - as many were former agricultural workers seeking better wages on local projects, before the influx of Irish labour. Later adopted by urban “dirty trades” such as dustmen, fishmongers, warehouse-men and porters, the smock was never just a rural garment, worn only by shepherds and agricultural-workers.

18257, Detail showing the tree symbols on the right.

The smock was a cheap, practical and hard-wearing utility garment , made from linen or cotton with a very simple cutting layout. Shaping was achieved by the pleating and smocking, which is not only decorative but also gives some elasticity and stretch to the fabric, plus added thickness and warmth.

Smocks could be home-made, but were also bought ready-made from drapers – these were factory-produced, with very minimal smocking and embroidery added later by women outworkers. There was a thriving second-hand trade as well, as although smocks were a relatively cheap garment it was still a significant cost for a worker, in relation to wages.

Elizabeth Bishop wrote in 'Embroidery' in 1972 about a treasured family heirloom - her great great grandfather’s smock. He was John Bishop (1823-1908), a carter living in Groombridge, Sussex. His smock was made by his wife, Ann - "... the work is done so neatly and evenly that it hardly seems possible that it is all done by hand." In addition to ones for other family members, Ann also made smocks at home for local labourers, “doing all the smocking and making up the smock for one shilling and sixpence a time". At that time, this would be a significant amount of money, and no doubt provided much-needed extra income for the family.

18257, showing the "box", and "tubing"

The better-off man would have a "best" smock to wear at church, for social occasions such as weddings and funerals, when going to market and even to the pub! They were white or cream with highly decorative and ornamental embroidery - stitched by a wife or mother as a visual, distinguishing sign of wealth. They were worn with a colourful neckerchief knotted at the neck, and a shirt, waistcoat and trousers underneath.

Just like christening gowns and wedding dresses, it is these “Sunday best” garments that have mainly survived, unlike the plainer, workday smocks, which were discarded when they eventually wore out. Smocks identified the wearer as a manual worker, but increased mechanisation would make the wearing of loose smocks hazardous and they were superseded by more closely fitted clothing.

There were two styles of smock, and Rachel's is a “round smock"; being identical at the back and front, it is reversible and slips over the head. Finishing well below the knee, the exact length was determined by the height of the wearer. (The other style was a “coat smock”, which had a buttoned opening all the way down the front.)

This smock is handmade from linen with a large rectangular collar in two halves, held down at the four outer corners by clear glass buttons. The design follows the typical pattern of “boxes” of embroidery on either side of the central smocked gathers, known as ”tubing”. The smocking stitches are worked in the same colour thread as the linen fabric and include basket, rope and double chevron in diamond patterns. The embroidery in the boxes is mainly feather stitch, with some herringbone.

18257, cuff detail

There are two side pockets, with reinforced top edges (also embroidered) and a bone button fastening, and a small panel of smocking inserted at the head of each sleeve. Both sleeves and cuffs are also smocked and embroidered, complete with two bone buttons and hand-worked buttonholes.

We have two other smocks in the Collection with more detailed provenance about their owners - as Rachel fully appreciated the pressing need to record lost and disappearing customs, and their occupational clothing - and especially to preserve the needlework skills involved. The intricate smocking and embroidery patterns were highly creative and individual, requiring many hours of stitching. Smocks are the perfect example of beauty and utility going hand-in-hand.

The Women's Institute popularised smocking from the 1920s onwards and it was still widely used for children's clothing in the 1940s. Smocking continues to be used in both adult and children's clothing today.

Jane H.

REFERENCES:

The Hidden History of the Smock Frock: Alison Toplis, Bloomsbury, 2021

English Folk Embroidery: Oenone Cave, Mills & Boon Ltd, 1965

A family heirloom: Elizabeth Bishop, article in ‘Embroidery’, Summer 1972

Old English Smocks and Smocking: Oenone Cave, ‘Embroidery’, Winter 1961

[gtccollectionstories]

Lace maker and teacher

Rachel teaching bobbin lace making to students at Gawthorpe Hall in the 1960s

Continuing the series about Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth's donations, we now look at lace, which was possibly her favourite textile. Rachel had learnt to make lace when she was just a young girl, and by the time she left Northlands school in 1903, she was happily teaching her fellow pupils how to make bobbin lace. She would continue to pass on her skills as a lace maker and embroiderer to others throughout her life.

Rachel was an acknowledged expert on the many different types of lace and their history, and between 1955 and 1961 wrote a series of articles for ‘Embroidery’ (the Embroiderers’ Guild quarterly journal) in which she classified and identified the different types of lace and their techniques.

Item 24256, GTC

This beautiful Point de gaze cuff (above) is now in the Collection. It was featured in the 'Embroidery' article in Summer 1956 about ‘Needle-made laces'. Rachel wrote: “The illustration is of the early twentieth century, and is thoroughly representative. The little roses, which are further enriched with a superimposed layer of tiny petals, are a favourite device. Tourists also buy butterflies worked in the same way with two pairs of wings.“

It is very interesting that Rachel refers to tourists buying lace butterflies, as we have one of these in the Collection - which belonged to Rachel….

Item 24270, GTC

This small Point de gaze lace butterfly measures just 8 X 6.5 cm. It has two pairs of wings with a segmented body, antennae and eyes, and is dated on the label "about 1900". Presumably she had bought this (as a tourist!) on one of the many continental holidays taken with her family before the 1st World War.

Detail, Item 24270, GTC

Rachel also writes on her label that she wore the butterfly in her hair. This type of lace features buttonholed circles known as “pearls”, which can be seen on the body and in the patterns of the wings.

Point de gaze was a fine-quality, Brussels needlepoint lace worked in a looping buttonhole stitch on a light, hexagonal net ground. Scrolling floral designs featuring roses with tiers of petals were typical. The detail of the cuff (below) also shows the ‘cordonnet’ (a raised thicker thread) which was used for outlines, stalks and stems, together with the characteristic ‘wheels’, ‘pearls’ and circular dots.

Detail, Item 24256, GTC

Rachel wrote in her Summer 1956 article: “Brussels Point de gaze is indeed a handsome lace and has been worn much at court and on formal full dress occasions by its owners during the last one hundred and fifty years.” Point de gaze remained very popular for wedding veils, dress flounces and fans throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, but production had died out by the outbreak of the 1st World War.

Rachel dates the cuff to "about 1905" and her label also illustrates the star grading system she used for the lace in her collection: 1 star was for the cheaper lace used on lingerie and household items, 2 and 3 stars for well executed lace of good design, and 4 and 5 stars for lace of the highest quality and workmanship.

Rachel’s label for Item 24256, GTC

Rachel also devised a system of symbols as well. A magnifying glass was used to indicate the rarest and most choice examples in her collection, and was a very clear recommendation to the student to take a much closer look! A crown was used for lace worn at court and a mitre for ecclesiastical lace. Finally, a chair was for everyday household items such as mats, bedspreads and tablecloths.

Jane H.

[gtccollectionstories]

An appliqué panel with Royal Connections

Item 11841, GTC

Rachel donated this appliqué panel to the Collection in 1961. It is described in the Accessions Register as:

Contemporary embroidery of appliqué, beads, lace and stitches. Nearly all the pieces of white and silver brocade were snippets from dresses made for H M Queen Elizabeth II, given to the embroideress. Exhibited at the Medici Galleries, London in 1961. Designed and worked by Mrs Marjorie Chinnock in 1957. Splendid deep red background. L 23 H 16½ inches.

It is not clear if Rachel bought the panel herself from the Medici Galleries, or if it was a gift to her from the maker. Unfortunately, we know very little about Mrs Chinnock. Marjorie Montgomery had married Stanley Chinnock in Peckham in 1931, and she is listed as a shorthand typist (born in 1905) on the 1939 Register. She died in 1984.

The Medici Galleries had branches in London at Grafton Street, Mayfair and Thurloe Street, South Kensington, as well as in Bold Street, Liverpool. Their newspaper advertisements in the late 1950s and 1960s list greetings cards, china, fancy goods and pictures for sale.

The provenance of the fabrics suggests that the snippets may have come from the workroom of couture designer Norman Hartnell (1901-1979), who enjoyed royal patronage for nearly forty years. He held the Royal Warrant as Dressmaker to the Queen Mother from 1940, and was also appointed to Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 – which is the date stitched on the panel.

The Queen's other designer at that time was Hardy Amies (1909-2003), but he was much better known for her day outfits - and not for the state gowns and evening dresses made in silk satins and brocades by Hartnell.

Detail 11841, GTC

Hartnell’s salon and workrooms were located in a magnificent Georgian house in Bruton Street - which is very close to Grafton Street and both streets are off New Bond Street in Mayfair.

In 1955, his in-house embroidery workroom was the largest in London couture, and he had a total staff of 385 working in his business. So perhaps Mrs Chinnock was employed by Hartnell, or she knew someone who worked there?

Earlier in his career, Hartnell had designed glamorous evening gowns for film and stage stars, such as Anna Neagle and Gertrude Lawrence, but he also gained a high-society clientele for his court presentation, bridal and evening dresses. His opulent dresses were renowned for their exclusivity – mainly because their intricate, beaded embroidery designs were extremely difficult and expensive to copy, and required many hours of work by highly skilled needlewomen.

Detail 11841, GTC

The wedding dress of the then Princess Elizabeth was designed by Hartnell when she married Prince Philip in 1947. She commissioned him again for her coronation dress in 1953 and those of her six Maids of Honour. Her iconic dress was made of white silk satin lavishly embroidered with the botanical emblems of the UK and the Commonwealth, using silk and metal threads, and embellished with pearls, diamantes and bugle beads.

See the dress in the link below:

In his 1955 autobiography ‘Silver and Gold’, Hartnell described the final trying-on of the coronation dress: "Although it is not etiquette for me to quote the exact terms of Her Majesty’s verdict, she did use one word, ‘Glorious’. ”

Jane H.

Sources:

The Queen’s Clothes, David Robb & Anne Edwards, Elm Tree Books, 1977

Silver and Gold, Norman Hartnell, Evans Brothers Ltd, 1955

[gtccollectionstories]

An Indian Embroidered Stole

Item 27166 GTC

This Indian stole is richly embroidered in multi-coloured silk thread on black net. There is an embroidered floral border around all the edges of the net, but the central portion has been left mainly clear, with just small individual florets in a linear pattern. Rachel wrote on her label “When worn in India the central part is worn across the chest, & the rich panels float behind as the wearer walks”.

The stole was entered in the Accessions Register in 1930 as a joint donation from Rachel and Dorothy Ross – who were close friends for many years.

The design of the densely embroidered panels at each end includes three pine cone shapes, known as “buta”. Each of the buta has a large stylised floral shape at the base, and they are surrounded by multi-coloured flowers, golden stems and light green leaves. A knotted fringe of twisted silk in red, green, gold, black, and white is stitched to each end.

Detail Item 27166 GTC

Dorothy Maud Ross (1878-1955) was born in Sattara Province, India. Her father was a Surgeon-Major in the Bombay Army, and as he had retired in 1881, she would have only been a small child when she left India. Sadly, both of her parents died in 1889, and the India Office records show that Dorothy and her 5 siblings each received a pension of £60 a year. These same records show that Dorothy visited Burma in 1901-2 and India in 1910-1911, as she had requested that her pension was accrued at these times.

Dorothy never married and supported herself by secretarial work. A book now in the Library at Gawthorpe Hall (‘Old English Plate’ by H C Moffatt, published in 1906) has a personal dedication to her from the author, which includes the phrase “To the typer, From the writer”. In 1956, Rachel would later write in the same book:

“Miss Dorothy M Ross was a charming, wise and versatile lady. She travelled widely in India with her brother, a judge, & later with the Days & RBKS. For many years she was a dear friend to the Kay-Shuttleworth family, acting at times as Lord Shuttleworth’s private secretary.”

This close relationship is confirmed by a letter written in December 1918 by Blanche, Lady Shuttleworth to her daughter, Nina Hills:

“Father is pretty well & has got through a vast amount of work present & future, which he finds rather more difficult to get through without dear D M Ross. Our present lady does her best…... but she does not necessarily be so wonderfully helpful as Dorothy.” (Shuttleworth Family letters)

Item 27166, GTC

Dorothy was also a good friend of Ruth Day, only daughter of Lewis Foreman Day (1845-1910), the decorative artist, designer and writer. L F Day was a major influence on Rachel and the Collection. She wrote on her Index card that the Days were “special friends” and her travelling companions. Throughout his life, Day spent a month or two abroad each year, gathering his own collection of textiles which he used as inspiration for his designs.

Dorothy Ross appears as a Visitor on the 1901 Census at the Days’ London home, at 13 Mecklenburgh Square. An orphan with no parents of her own, she became like another daughter to them, and when L F Day died in 1910, she was appointed his Literary Executor. Dorothy and Mrs Day then grew even closer when Ruth Day died on 14 January 1918, aged 44, a victim of the influenza pandemic.

From Lady Blanche’s letter at the end of 1918, it is obvious that Dorothy was no longer staying with the Kay-Shuttleworth family and was presumably supporting Mrs Day. Certainly by the 1921 Census, Dorothy and Mrs Day are living together at 7 Ralston Street, Chelsea and she is listed as a Friend and Retired Secretary.

We also know that in the autumn of 1922, Rachel, Dorothy, Mrs Day and Rachel’s sister, Nina, all went on holiday together. The four like-minded ladies wanted to study the embroideries in Florence.

When Mrs Day died in 1929, Dorothy inherited the Days’ large textile and ceramics collection, some of which was donated to the V&A Museum and some came to Rachel’s collection as well. Rachel wrote (in her trademark green ink!) that Dorothy had:

“.......inherited many of their treasures. Many are now in the V&A Museum - Their furniture made by famous craftsmen friends, Mrs Day’s Embroideries etc. RBKS who knew them all well, now (1955) has many others – Embroideries. Lace. Ceramics. Books given her by D.M.R. - she d. in 1955”

We do not know if Dorothy bought this stole on one of her journeys through India, or if it was part of the Days' collection she had inherited in 1929. What is more certain is that it was given to a dear friend who would really appreciate it.

Jane H

Also see:

Lewis Foreman Day (1845-1910): Unity in Design and Industry; Joan Maria Hansen, Antique Collectors’ Club, 2007

Cabinet | McCulloch, George | Day, Lewis Foreman | V&A Explore The Collections

cabinet, English, 1885-88, des. Lewis F Day, contains 14 shelves

[gtccollectionstories]

A wedding gift for a sister

Item 4631, GTC

This velvet bible cover continues the series about the donations made by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth to the Collection. It features a beautiful embroidered design of curving sprays of honeysuckle on the front and back, which are mirror images of each other.

It was designed and made by Rachel as a wedding gift for her sister Nina, when she married Eustace Hills (1868-1934), a barrister, at St Bartholomew’s Church, Barbon on 21 December, 1910.

"The bride, who was led to the altar by her father, wore a soft white satin gown with a silk net coat edged with a deep flounce of early 17th century Venetian point lace (the gift of Major-General Sir Coleridge Grove, uncle of the bridegroom), a Court train of soft brocade trimmed with beautiful duchesse lace lent by her mother, who also lent the beautiful duchesse veil."

(Lancashire Evening Post, 21 Dec 1910)

The bride and groom. Nina's bouquet was orange blossom and lilies of the valley. (Album T100, GTC Archives)

Nina was 31, and Eustace (42) was a widower, with two small daughters - Elizabeth and Katharine - who were train-bearers for their new step-mother. Rachel and youngest sister, Catherine, were two of the six bridesmaids.

There would be four sons from Eustace's second marriage with Nina: Coleridge; John; Anthony and David. The couple started their married life in Chelsea, but later moved to Tolson Hall near Kendal in Cumbria, when Eustace was appointed a Judge on the Northern Circuit.

The flowers and leaves on the bible cover are worked in silk thread on cream velvet - the shaded pink flowers and stamens are in long and short stitch, the leaves in satin stitch and the stems in stem stitch. A woven gold braid (now tarnished) has been used to frame both sprays of honeysuckle, and is also stitched at the top and bottom of the spine. It is lined in white satin, with pockets at each end for the front and back cover boards to slide into. The bride’s maiden name is neatly embroidered in black at the bottom of the front cover

Detail, 4631, GTC

The use of honeysuckle (also known as woodbine) in Rachel’s design was quite deliberate and not just decorative. Firstly, it was the emblem of their mother’s family, the Woodbine Parishes - before she had married, Lady Shuttleworth was Blanche Marion Parish. Ughtred and Blanche had met whilst he was serving as the Junior Member of Parliament for Hastings, and they were married there in 1871.

It was also likely to have been in recognition of the publication (just before the wedding) of Nina’s biography of her maternal grandfather, Sir Woodbine Parish: making this a double celebration gift from Rachel to her older sister.

Sir Woodbine Parish, K.C.H. (1796-1882) had a long career in the diplomatic service both in Europe and Argentina; as his grand-daughter, Nina would have had unique access to his papers. Sir Woodbine retired to St Leonards, near Hastings in 1853, and he lived at Quarry House with his second wife, Louisa – Nina’s grandmother.

However, Sir Woodbine Parish's biography appears to have been something of a joint project by the sisters, as Rachel’s personal copy in the Library at Gawthorpe Hall, has this inscription on the flyleaf in Nina’s handwriting:

It reads: “Rachel B Kay Shuttleworth

(without whose help it might

never have existed)

With love & gratitude – N.

Nov 23, 1910”

Jane H.

[gtccollectionstories]

A telescopic fan

Item 27651, GTC (extended)

In the second in a series of Collection Stories about items donated by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth to the Collection, we look at a fan which belonged to her.

Beautifully decorated and dating from the early 1900s, it is exactly the type of fan Rachel would have used at the many balls and dances she attended during her debutante season. She was presented at Court at Buckingham Palace in 1904, when she was eighteen.

Rachel’s label reads: “FAN. White, gold spangles, pierced sticks. Circa 1900”

The cream silk satin leaf is embellished with gold metal spangles in an elegant design of flowers and leaves with swags along the top edge. The spangles themselves are not just simple circles but also squares, flowers and leaf shapes. The sticks and guards are made of gold painted wood with open work piercing.

If you look closely the sticks are actually telescopic, allowing the fan to be reduced in size by sliding the leaf down, as can be seen below.

Item 27651, GTC (reduced in size)

Rachel loved dancing. We have a number of her photograph albums in the Collection, compiled when she was a young woman. These start in 1903 and end with the onset of World War I. There are long handwritten lists of her social engagements (which included many dances and balls) together with her travels at home and abroad, dinner parties, trips to the opera and theatre, exhibitions at London art galleries and the people she had met.

These albums have been used in her new biography as a primary source of information.

27651, detail

Jane H.