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A prodder used in rag rug making. Made from a red deer antler which lived on the Earl of Wharncliffe's estate in West Yorkshire.
A prodder is a tool used in rag rugging for making holes in the backing of the rug through which the wool or fabric is drawn. This prodder is made from a red deer antler which lived on the Earl of Wharncliffe's estate in West Yorkshire. It is part of the Hemeon Collection of rug-making tools and thrift rugs.

MERL Catalogue Form (temporary) – ‘Object name: PRODDER // Other name: ANTLER // … // Notes: The ‘prodder’ is made from a deer antler.’, Letter, Dorothy Heney to M. F. Hemeon, 22 October 1972 – ‘Dear Mrs Hemeon, // I was interested to read your letter in the September issue of ‘Home & Country’ re ‘Thrift floor-coverings’, and am pleased to be able to send you a red-deer antler which we used to use as a prodder when rug making. This one was taken from a deer which lived in Wharncliffe Chase, part of the Earl of Wharncliffe’s estate opposite which I live. There are still deer on this land and sometimes we have seen them in the wood – generally regarded as a sign of a hard winter! // This prodder has been used in the making of dozens of rugs using clippings of material of either new or old cloth. The clippings were about 1 inch wide by 4 inches long, a hole was prodded in the stretched hessian and the end of the clipping stabbed through, then another hole was made about ½ inch away & the other end of the clipping stabbed through and pulled tightly and evenly. This continued in rows until the rug was complete. // My grandfather made a huge frame with rollers round which the hessian was nailed and as the rug was in the process of being made it was wound round the top roller and held in place by a ratchet device. It took the weight off the rug and made it easier to manipulate, thought the work had to be done standing! // The finished rugs were very heavy but beautifully warm and very colourful. // I am glad to have been able to help you with your search and am pleased to think you are leaving your collection to the Museum of English Rural Life.’, MERL Miscellaneous Note, Greta Bertram, 10 December 2013 – The Hemeon Collection of rug-making tools and thrift rugs (74/131/1–74) was put together by Maidie F. Hemeon. Mrs Hemeon was interested in the tradition of ‘thrift’ rugs – rugs made using old fabrics and home-made or home-adapted tools. This type of rug has many names, including ‘rag’, ‘proddie’, ‘peggie’, ‘hooky’, ‘proggy’, ‘clippy’ and ‘bodgy’ rug. These rugs became widespread during the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, but by the 1920s the craft was dying out except in areas of poverty or where tradition had a stronger hold. The necessity for thrift during World War II brought a brief revival, but it did not last long. Mrs Hemeon published a letter in the June 1970 edition of the Women’s Institute ‘Home & Country’ magazine in which she expressed her ambition to trace and preserve all the tools used in the craft before it was industrialised. She hoped to build up a display of samples, materials, tools and coloured photos of finished work in use, for demonstration, exhibition and educational purposes, and to simulate interest in making rag rugs as a living craft rather than as the remains of a dead one. She received many donations in response to the article, and in due course the collection came to MERL. It is likely that some of the samples in the collection were made by Mrs Hemeon. Further information can be found in the MERL Archives, D79/31.

Wharncliffe Side