Basket making (General)

by braillemaker, Tuesday, February 28, 2006, 06:38 (6856 days ago)

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 (6855 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

Basket making

by braillemaker, Thursday, March 02, 2006, 00:36 (6854 days ago) @ slowhands

Thank you slowhands; interestingly I've just discovered a whole family of basket makers in 1861. Going by the name of John, they were living in tents only a couple of miles from my relation. Taking the father, wife and two eldest sons - 4 people - and they each had different birth counties! Pity their descendants trying to do family history!

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