Bedfordshire lace is a style of bobbin lace originating from Bedfordshire in the 19th century, and made in the English Midlands lacemaking area. It was worked as a continuous width on a bolster pillow. It is a guipure style of lace.
Bedfordshire lace is a style of bobbin lace originating from Bedfordshire in the 19th century, and made in the English Midlands lacemaking area. It was worked as a continuous width on a bolster pillow. It is a guipure style of lace.
In the early years of the 16th century Catherine of Aragon was imprisoned in Ampthill, Bedfordshire for a short time whilst divorce proceedings were being taken against her by Henry VIII. Local tradition says that she taught the villagers lacemaking.
From the 16th century there are frequent references to the working of 'bone lace' being taught to the children of poor people in workhouses in order that they might earn something towards the cost of their keep. [1]
Lace-makers from Flanders settled in Bedfordshire as early as the 16th century. By the mid-18th century, Newport Pagnell was a centre of Bedfordshire lace production. [2]
The highpoint of lacemaking was from the late 17th century through the 18th century. However, the invention of the bobbinet machine in nearby Nottingham meant that machine-made lace could be made far cheaper. The patterns of the hand-made lace changed to simpler styles to compete, and this became the modern Bedfordshire lace.
Lace was made throughout Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and beyond. The styles of the lace made would have varied at different periods, reflecting what was fashionable at the time. In the 19th century, English lacemakers started to copy Maltese lace which became popular after it was exhibited in The Great Exhibition, [3] but adapted it to produce their own style.
This style, now described as Bedfordshire or Beds lace, often has a plaited headside known as nine pin. Plaits, sometimes with picots, and tallies are common. There are flowing lines, called cloth trails. [4] The forms created are often organic and naturalistic, representing flowers, plants and other forms from the natural world., [5] possibly influenced by the Honiton style. [6]
Bedfordshire lace can be viewed at the Higgins Art Gallery & Museum in Bedford [7] and at the Cowper and Newton Museum in Olney. [8]
Luton is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2021 census, the Luton/Dunstable urban area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable and Houghton Regis, had a population of 286,450.
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst the Borough of Bedford had a population of 157,479. Bedford is also the historic county town of Bedfordshire.
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted or crocheted lace. Other laces such as these are considered as a category of their specific craft. Knitted lace, therefore, is an example of knitting. This article considers both needle lace and bobbin lace.
Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually determined by a pattern or pricking pinned on the pillow.
Olney is a market town and civil parish in the City of Milton Keynes borough of Buckinghamshire, England. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 6,477.
Bedfordshire is an English ceremonial county which lies between approximately 25 miles and 55 miles north of central London.
Abington Pigotts is a small village in Cambridgeshire, England about 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Royston, Hertfordshire.
Guipure lace is a type of bobbin lace. It connects the motifs with bars or plaits rather than net or mesh.
Tønder lace is a point-ground type of handmade bobbin lace identified with the Tønder region of Denmark since about 1850, although lace of many types has been made there since as early as 1650. The term is also used more broadly, to refer to any bobbin lace made in Denmark.
Youghal lace is a needle lace inspired by Italian needle lace and developed in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland.
Bucks point is a bobbin lace from the South East of England. "Bucks" is short for Buckinghamshire, which was the main centre of production. The lace was also made in the nearby counties of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. Bucks point is very similar to the French Lille lace, and thus is often called English Lille. It is also similar to Mechlin lace and Chantilly lace.
Binche lace is a type of bobbin lace that originated in the town of Binche, Belgium. It is continuous, meaning it is made all at once, in one piece. It is generally made in strips 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Though typically it has no cordonnet outlining the design against the ground, occasional pieces are made with a very fine one, about the same thickness as the thread used in the pattern. The pattern in Binche lace is very detailed, with animal scenes and figures.
Irish lace has always been an important part of the Irish needlework tradition. Both needlepoint and bobbin laces were made in Ireland before the middle of the eighteenth century, but never, apparently, on a commercial scale. It was promoted by Irish aristocrats such as Lady Arabella Denny, the famous philanthropist, who used social and political connections to support the new industry and promote the sale of Irish lace abroad. Lady Denny, working in connection with the Dublin Society, introduced lace-making into the Dublin workhouses, especially among the children there. It is thought that it was an early form of Crochet, imitating the appearance of Venetian Gros Point lace.
The Lace Guild is a registered charity, accredited museum and educational organisation based in the UK for lacemakers and those interested in lacemaking. Its aims are to provide information about the craft of lacemaking, its history and use, to promote a high standard of lacemaking, and to encourage the design, development and professional presentation of lace. It is a registered educational charity.
Lace machines took over the commercial manufacture of lace during the nineteenth century.
Maltese lace is a style of bobbin lace made in Malta. It is a guipure style of lace. It is worked as a continuous width on a tall, thin, upright lace pillow. Bigger pieces are made of two or more parts sewn together.
Cluny lace is a bobbin lace style, worked as a continuous piece. It is a heavy plaited lace of geometric design, often with radiating thin, pointed wheatears. It is a guipure style of lace.
Princess lace is a tape lace. It is made of straight machine-made lace tapes also called princess lace. The lacemaker bends and folds these into the shape of flowers and leaves, and sews them into position.
Part lace or sectional lace is a way of making bobbin lace. It characterises various styles, such as Honiton lace or Brussels lace.
Thomas Lester was a prominent lace merchant in the rural lacemaking industry in Bedfordshire, establishing a Lace Manufactory business which survived until the onset of machine-made lace in the early 20th century. His designs were exhibited at the Great Exhibition in 1851, receiving a prize medal, though even at that time, the awarding jury noted the decline in demand for lace in the East Midlands styles.
Lace types | |||||||||
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| Needle lace |
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| Bobbin lace |
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| Tape lace | |||||||||
| Crocheted lace | |||||||||
| Machine-made lace | |||||||||
| Other handmade laces | |||||||||
