Lace Bobbins


The bobbins used in the making of pillow lace served to identify each individual thread. The lace is made on pins placed on a pricked parchment pattern on a pillow. Between 20 and 500 different threads might be required to make a single piece of lace, and each of these would require its own distinctive bobbin. Pillow lace-making was introduced to England in the late 16th century by Huguenot refugees from France and the Low Countries, but eventually spread all over western Europe, from Spain to Scandinavia and as far east as Hungary and Poland. As each area produced its own distinctive forms of bobbins, the number of different collectable varieties must run to many thousands.

The very earliest bobbins, dating from the early 16th century to the end of the 18th century, are of the greatest rarity. They were generally made of wood and bulbous in shape, with a long slender neck surmounted by a retaining knop. From about 1800, however, the bulbous shape gave way to a much slimmer shaft, with a thinner neck and a double knop. Many different kinds of material were now coming into use, and in ascending order of scarcity these are hardwoods, bone, pewter, brass, copper, ivory and glass.

Some idea of the diversity of forms and styles may be gained from the types used in the English Midlands which were characterised by spangles attached to the lower end. These ornaments consisted mainly of differently coloured beads, but carved shell cameos, coins, medalets and decorative buttons have also been recorded. Honiton bobbins, on the other hand, were pointed at the lower end and had no spangles, since the Devon technique required the bobbin to be passed through the fabric. Personalised inscriptions on bobbins add to their value, with spiral messages worth much more than straight ones. Bobbins bearing a name and date are particularly desirable.

Many of the types of lace bobbins have exotic names which are usually descriptive of some salient feature. Thus Leopard, Tiger and Butterfly denote turned wood or bone inlaid with pewter with spots, stripes and wing-shapes respectively. On the other hand, the Yak was a heavy turned wooden bobbin used in the production of worsted lace. Old Maids are thin, straight-sided wooden or bone bobbins with a plain turned shank. Trolleys and trailers are fan bobbins with loose pewter rings or gingles. These bobbins were sometimes known as Henry VIII's Wives, designated by the number of rings. Thus a one-ring bobbin was Catherine of Aragon and a six-ring bobbin a Catherine Parr. Complete sets of six are rare. Composite bobbins include Mother-in-Babe and Cow-in-Calf, respectively a bobbin with a hollow shank containing a miniature bobbin, and a bobbin in two sections which unscrew to reveal a miniature. Other hollow and composite bobbins are the Bird-cage, the Church Window, Mother-in-Twins and Mother-in-Triplets. The most macabre bobbins are those bearing the names of convicted murderers and the date of their execution. It was a custom for the relatives of murder victims to celebrate the execution by giving away lace bobbins inscribed in this manner. Doubtless a bobbin with thread wound round its neck resembled a man dangling from the gallows. These are now much sought after on account of their human interest.