63/604

Cob maund,

Stanley Bird (Manufacturer)

This oval cobbing basket or ‘cob maund’ was for use in the kipper industry. It was made by Stanley Bird, a basketmaker of Great Yarmouth, for the Museum. It is a round basket made of cane with two wooden battens and with two roped handles. Different baskets were used throughout the kippering process. In stage 1, the herrings were split and gutted by hand and put into the 'oval cobbing basket'. In stage 2, the split herrings were washed in a ‘herring wash basket’. In stage 3, the washed herrings were put into a ‘kipper drip maund’ where they stood in brine and orange dye for an hour before being hung up for smoking.

1 basket: cane

An order of 12 baskets from Stanley Bird (Basketware) Ltd. to Dorothy Wright, care of the Keeper at MERL. According to the delivery note, the order consisted of: 1 quarter cran; 1 small cran; 1 eighth cran; 1 oblong Hull lander; 1 oval Aberdeen lander; 1 liver basket; 1 ice basket; 1 trawl basket; 1 cobbing basket; 1 kipper basket; 1 wash basket; 1 eel pot., Stanley Bird (Basketware) Ltd. label: F.H.5. All cane cobbing baskets oval. Used in the kipper houses., MERL 'Catalogue of baskets' form – 'NAME: OVAL COBBING BASKET (Kipper) (Stanley Bird) // Acc. No.: 63/604 // Group: FISHING. SEA. // Neg. no.: 60/5242 // Place of origin: Great Yarmouth. Norfolk. // Period in use: // DESCRIPTION // Materials: Cane. 2 battens. 4 split nails. // Shape and construction: Oval. 4-behind-2 border. 2 fitches. A roped handle upright on the rim at either end. BS. [number of bottom sticks] 3.6. St. [number of stakes] 24 Bi-St. [bye stakes] 24. 2 battens from end to end fastened with split nails. 2 rounds upsett. 2 top wales. 2 fitches. // Dimensions: Bottom: 12 1/2” x 8 1/2/” Top: 13 1/2” x 16. Height: 10” // Use: In the kipper industry. When herrings were split & gutted by hand on a table this basket stood by the side of the women workers to receive the split herrings. Stage 1 in kippering. // Dialect names: COB Maund. // Distribution: Kipper Industry. // Additional notes:'

Great Yarmouth

1963 - 1963

Wright, Dorothy (Recorder)