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Teme Valley Crown,

Alec Coker (Maker)

Corn dolly; ‘Teme Valley Crown’, made by Alec Coker. It consists of a thick, plaited central core to which 6 long plaited bands are attached.
This corn dolly, known as a ‘Teme Valley Crown’, was made by Alec Coker. It consists of a thick, plaited central core to which six long plaited bands are attached. Three small plaited loops are attached to the bottom of the core, and a large bunch of corn ears hang from the bottom of the crown.

1 corn dolly: corn

MERL miscellaneous note Greta Bertram, 20 August 2013 – The 'Coker Collection' of corn dollies was bequeathed to the Museum by Alec Coker, who devoted his retirement from 1965 until his death in 1986 to spreading knowledge of and teaching the craft of corn dolly making. He first became interested in the craft when working at the BBC when he encountered dollies as props on the set of ‘Lorna Doone’ in the 1930s. ‘Corn’ is a term for the family of grains which includes barley, oats, wheat and rye. ‘Corn dolly’ is a wide-ranging term which includes figures, love tokens, crosses, Scandinavian star designs, and Far Eastern shrine dolls made from ‘corn’ straw. Techniques used in the craft include tying, plaiting, weaving and marquetry. The corn dolly was originally an object used in rites and rituals, and in many parts of the world it was believed that the ‘Corn Goddess’ lived in the crop and died when it was harvested. Images of the Goddess, or other talismans, were woven from the last sheaf to be reaped and carefully preserved to ensure an abundant crop the following year. By the twentieth century, corn dollies had lost their ritual associations, and from the 1950s there was a concerted effort to preserve the craft of corn dolly making., MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – ‘Description: Teme Valley Crown // Thick, plaited central core. Attached to this, six long plaited bands. At the bottom of the core, three small plaited loops. At the bottom of the structure, a large bunch of corn ears. // Dimensions: 24cm x 9cm // Associated information: Made by Alec Coker. Associated with a Mr Dipper from the Shropshire-Worcestershire border. // Similar items are in the Sandford Collections. // References: A. Coker’s Collection List of Corn Dollies no.11 // L. Sandford. Corn Dollies and How to Make Them Book 2 p.7’, 'Mr Coker's Original List of Corn Dollies' – ‘Teme Valley Crown, made by Alec Coker. Associated with a Mr. Dipper from the Shropshire-Worcestershire border. This example varies slightly from that described in Corn Dollies and How to Make Them, Book Two, by Lettice Sandford, p.7. There is a small collection of crowns made by Mr. Dipper in a village hall not far from Eye Manor.’