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A thatching needle is used to secure the bunches of straw to the roof or rick and to each other with twine (tarred to keep the mice away).

1 thatcher's needle: metal

MERL ‘Handwritten catalogue’ form - ‘NEEDLE (THATCHER’S) // CRAFTS - Straw - thatch // Jacksons, Scrap dealers, Caversham, Reading.’, Photocopy of document - Patent specification 461,673. Relating to the invention of a new or improved needle for use in thatching rick and roofs., MERL Miscellaneous note – This curved needle is a Darby thatching needle, was used for fastening thatch on hay or corn stacks or house roofs. Patented in 1935 it was designed to make a locking stitch in the thatch, securing it in place without the need for peg or spur. The curved needle was inserted in the thatch along with twine or fastening material, the straight needle was inserted and connected with the curved needle. The twine was threaded round the yealms and through the rafters to support the thatch. Said to be easy to use by novices and quicker to use than pegs or spurs. This needle is of an early design, which appears in the 1935 patent. Almost certainly made by the same firm who patented the device – John Henry Darby, 26 High Street, Hillmorton, Rugby.

1935 - 1944