Basket making (General)
My great-great grandfather, Charles Barnard lived at Lining Wood - on the edge of the hill above Mitcheldean. in 1855 he was an iron miner. In 1861 Charles is listed as a ‘former iron miner’. Ten years later he is described as having been a cripple for 13 years – maybe as the result of a mining accident? However, at the time of his death (June 1889) his daughter Rhoda said he was a Basket maker.
I wonder if anyone could flesh this out a bit.
Might we assume that a family member would have taken the baskets down to a market at Mitcheldean? From where, and how, would he have obtained his raw materials?
Basket making
by slowhands 
, proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Wednesday, March 01, 2006, 04:20 (6833 days ago) @ braillemaker
< not an expert>
The Forest would have been a source of (coppiced) Oak and Hazel, and Willow and Reeds would have been found in Gloucestershire, so I guess there would have been plenty of material to weave into baskets.
Next time I'm in the Lea/Mitcheldean area I'll see if I can identify the wood growing ther today.
Selling in markets in Ross and Mitcheldean, Gloucester would be quite possible.
S