| Ancient Meols No 5. |
Needles, needle-cases and thimbles
Needles must have existed from a very early date, but of course they were of primitive construction.
The Hebrew women occupied much of their time in embroidery, as well as in spinning and weaving; and the directions for the construction of the Tabernacle, as well as the robes of Aaron, show that skill in embroidering existed. The product of the needle was naturally costly, and therefore highly prized; so that, when occuring as spoil,"it was the portion the chieftain, and when as a present it was worthy of a king" ~~ Judg. v.30; Psalm x1v. 14.
In our own country there were companies of "Broderers", or embroiderers, in London, Bristol, and Chester; but the needle had no place on their arms. The only instrument of their craft which appeared was that known as the "Broche" a little pencil-looking object of metal or of ivory, with a wedge-like point, containing a slit like that of a crochet needle. Among the nations of antiquity, the Phrygians were particularly celebrated for their gold embroidered work; so that the term orphrey work, which was common in the medieval period, has descendedto our own times. It indicated such decoration as was common on the garments of eccliastics, and is derived from "areum Phrygianum"
Roman needles have been found at Richborough and Uriconium; and in the past lake habitations of Switzerland several have been discovered both of bone and bronze. Earlier I mentioned Mr Roach Smith. In his collection of London Antiquities, there were several of bronze and a long one of the material was found on the site of the Roman wall in the north, I am not sure exactly where, Hume mentioned eighteen bronze needles in the collection of: "Royal Irish Academy", its whereabouts is not known to me but maybe anyone with connections with Ireland's history of the time will be kind enough to enlighten me, there were several others in what he described as 'find' trays.
In a Saxon tumulus (burial mound often indicated on ordinance survey maps) at Kingston Down, in Kent, two brass needles were found by that celebrated archaeologist Faussett in 1771.
Varieties of structure
Some of those found at Uriconium have the eye placed in the middle. Perforated pieces of bronze are also found in Scotland, which can have served only as needles. The ancient bone needles found in Switzerland are either straight or slightly curved; and they have occasionally two eyes at one end. In one of them the head or top has been grooved out on both sides, an operation which is technically called "guttering", that the thread or cord may present as little obstruction as possible while being drawn through the cloth. In some instances the eye is near the point, as in needles used by saddlers in the 19th century.
In a bog in the Isle of Skye, bronze needles have been found, along with along with decayed portions of textile fabrics; and some of the needles in Smith's collectioncontained a similar substance adhering to the eye. I am not aware of the location of these artifacts but it is highly likely that they would have been bequethed to a place of safety such as a museum.
In the sewing of leather, and probably many kinds of cloth, a needle proper was not employed in the olden time, but a piercer; and the thread was passed through as a shoemaker or saddler would have employed.Large needles of metal were aticals of great value at the time when they were rare; and they were carried about the person along with other valuables. Two are represented as strung on a ring along with anear-pick; they were found in an Anglo-Saxon burying-ground at Harnham Hill, near Salisbury.It is related that, at the settlement of the Pilgrim Fathers in North America, owing to some accident, there was but one needle at a particular settlement, and the housewives were obliged to to hire in rotation, so that it might be kept employed without intermission, night and day, I wonder if they were thrown overboard at the tea party?
The manufacture of needles is said to have been introduced into England about 1565, by Elias Krause, a German I believe but like many other things, the history of whose manufacture is not known, they wre called Spanish. I have not been able to ascertain where this saying derived from. It was really known generally as Spanish Pike. It was usual for begging friars to carry them round the country, selling or exchanging them with housewives, just as travelling collectors of rags, exchange pins and needles in the countryside.
Numbers in the Meols collection of Dr. Hume
These in number were about eleven, and were of bronze. They varied in length from one and a half inches to five and quarter inches; and are evidently different also in their dates and mode of construction. In some the eye is circular in others it is logitudinal as of today.
The point appears to be made by hammering rather than filing or grinding. One chisel-shaped object, which the pierced eye, appears to have been used to give a slight "guttering". From the Irish collection the two eyes appear to have benn punched, opening up the metal to quite a width. The construction is very curious, formed of extremely thin metal, hammered up into a solid mass; and it shows the seam or junction throughout its whole length. Narrowing the rectangular slip of metal might have formed the point before it was hammered. The head, or upper end, was then flattened, and an eye punched in it.
A few words may be said about modern needles, especially as the sewing machine, which had just been invented, threatened to transfer them to the cabinet of the antiquary but a century later here we are still using them in the home. The manufacture of needles is identified with several places in England at the time of middle 1800's, Whitechapel in London is mentioned, Hethersage in Derbyshire, the neighbourhood of Birmingham, and especially Redditch in Worcestershire, and Chester, the date about 1800.It may be sufficient to enumerate a few of the processes. The circular wire was cut into double lengths, and was then staightened and stamped in the middle, so as to form two needles inverted. The eyes are pierced through; the burr or projection was then filed off; the two were then separated; and then follows the hardening, straightening, tempering, burnishing and finishing.
Where the division of labour is complete, the process amounts to more than thirty in all. Out of fourteen pounds of wire no fewer than 48,000 needles were made at Redditch at the time, of which only three per cent were broken and unfit for use.
Needle-cases and Thimbles
These are mentioned in connexion with some needles that wer found in Denmark; and a Roman needle-case, found near Carlisle. Faussett aforementioned found, at Kingston Down a little needle-case, It was a brass cylinder, and a small piece of cloth which was wrapped around and seemed to join at the top, was still undecayed. A peculiar needle-case was in Mr Smith's collection, it is about three inches square, and its sides were covered with grotesque figures. In all there were five needle-cases one of which, beside the needles, a plug stopper of wood.
Thimbles
Only two or three had been noted at Meols, all of which were apparently imperfect. One of them was of bronze and evidently was much later manufactured than the needles. Nothing is known of their whereabouts but may have been bequethed to somewhere for safe keeping. This I intend to research at a later time. I have in my possession, a 14th century thimble of brass. It appears to be cast and is known as a beehive variety. The indentations are many and very uneven and would have only protected a small finger. It has been magnificently preserved considering it had been enclosed in farm soil for centuries. It must have been a prized possession. It was located alongside a well long disused, and would have been possibly mislaid by the ladies sewing and weaving whilst their spouses were at work on the land.This often happened, when the ladies had the opportunity to meet and chat in the warmth of the summer’s day. Dwellings in early years had little light; windows were taxed according to their size, so they were kept at a minimum.
Ancient Meols No 6. | Back to Ancient Meols No.4