68/378

This basket would have been used by a farmer’s wife for marketing her produce, such as eggs, chickens, ducks, cream, butter and flowers. It is wide oval basket with a round, flat bottom made of brown and white willow and with a lapped handle. It was probably made by Thomas Abbey and Sons, a family firm of basketmakers in Selby, West Yorkshire.

1 basket: willow

The family basketmaking business of Thomas Abbey & Sons was established in 1864. Mrs Snowden’s brother (Guy Abbey), father (A. E. Abbey) and grandfather were all basketmakers in the business. Her father spent some years teaching basketmaking at the Amar Singh Technical Institute in Srinagar, Kashmir, India, and was also on the Rural Industries Bureau. When Guy Abbey died there was no one to pass the firm on to, and Mrs Snowden donated several tools [67/15–67/31] which had been in use in the family for about one hundred years., MERL 'Catalogue of baskets' form – 'NAME: BASKET // Acc. No.: 68/378 // Group: MARKETING // Neg. no.: 60/9030 // Place of origin: Yorks [Yorkshire] (W. R. [West Riding]) Selby // Period in use: pre-1950 // DESCRIPTION // Materials: Brown & white willow. // Shape and construction: Wide oval. Round bottom. Little flow. Stakes wales & lapped handle white. Slewed bottom & sides brown. Handle listed brown & tied. Flat bottom rather worn. // Dimensions: WB. [width of bottom] 11 1/2” L.B. [length of bottom] 13” D. [depth] 7 1/2” LT. [length of top] 15” WT. [width of top] 12” BS. [number of bottom sticks] 10. St. [number of stakes] 42. 3 bows. // Use: General marketing of her own produce by farmer’s wife ie. Eggs, chickens, duck, cream, butter, flowers. // Dialect names: // Distribution: // Additional notes:'

Selby

1950

Wood, willow, white, Wood, willow, brown

Wright, Dorothy (Recorder)