2007/2

Teonal,

John Barker (Manufacturer)

Market or shopping basket made by John Barker in the 1980s. John came from a family of swillers, who specialised in making swill baskets.
This is a market basket or shopping basket made by John Barker in the 1980s. It is an oval basket made from woven wooden strips and has a handle. John Barker came from a family of swillers, basket makers who specialised in making swill baskets. It may also be known as a 'teonal'.

1 basket: wood

MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Museum of English Rural Life) – 'Standard museum name: BASKET, TEONAL // Accession number: 2007/2 // … // Recorder: WAP // Date: 10/01/2001 // Description: Oval shaped basket. Woven in wood strips. Handle and rim – bent branch. Handle intersects rim. // “Swillers” // Dimensions: length: 45 cm // width: 35 cm // maximum height: 36 cm // Associated information: This is a market basket, or shopping basket. It was made by John Barker in the 1980s. He also made swill baskets. John Barker taught the father of Owen Jones how to make baskets. See attached correspondence from John Barker to Alex Bury. // See 2007/1 [2007/1–6 all collected by Alex Bury whilst doing a basket making course in London]’, Letter, John Barker to Alex Bury – ‘I do come from a family of basket makers (Swillers). My grandfather started the business in Broughton-in-Furness in 1868 after serving his time at Backbarrow. // I was the last to serve my time at Broughton and I am the last of the “swillers” from there. // I started in 1932 at six shilling per week. I served four years my wage increased by six shillings per week. So for the last year I was getting 24 shilling per week, but I was expected to make as many baskets per week as a man out of his time. Then we got 35 shilling for what was called a weeks work, how many you made depended on the size. We did not work to a set time, it was all what we called “piece work”, we were paid so much a basket, so if the wood was poor it used to take longer to make them. // So it is impossible to compare those days with present, the war changed everything most of the coppice oak wood came under the Forestry Commission, The National Trust who were reluctant to let us cut the wood, they had have a change of heart in the last ten years, but the coppice wood has grown too big for our use, it should be cut every twenty years. // so after the war with no or little wood I had to look for other work, but I always made a few when I could get the wood, so I never lost the craft. // I then met Mary [Butcher] and Stella, and helped Mary with her book. I also helped them with a show at Brantwood near Coniston; I then met a Mr Atkinson when we were preparing for the show. He had had a boiler installed at this home at Nibthwaite, which we used to “rive” the wood for the show. He was very keen to learn how to make baskets, by then I had parted with my boiler because I could see no future in the job with no wood obtainable in any quantity. So I trained Mr Atkinson he was doing very well when he was killed in a car crash. His widow asked me to carry on using the boiler. That is how I started again, his son in law is now learning, so I am passing the job on. // I would be very pleased to meet you and tell you more about “swilling”.’, Letter, John Barker to Alex Bury, 28 May 1990 – ’20 in were called HALF PECK // 22 in were called LILE NICKS (SMALL) // 24 in were called PECK // 26 in were called GURT NICKS (Big)’

Grizebeck

1980-01-01 - 1989-12-31

1980s