68/14

This stilton cheese basket was made by Charles Williams of the Royal London Society for the Blind. It is a round basket, made of brown willow, with straight sides and a slightly convex base. The domed lid is attached to the basket by a twisted handle which also serves as a hinge. These baskets were in common use until 1956 to transport cheese from farms to markets and cheese fairs, although the cheese was not normally sold in the baskets.

1 Stilton cheese basket: brown willow; cane; good condition

Stilton cheese was made in farmhouses in the Vale of Belvoir and Dove Dale from the 1600s until World War I when small diary companies started to make it. The first stilton cheese fair was inaugurated in Melton Mowbray in 1883., MERL 'Catalogue of baskets' form – 'NAME: BASKET (cheese, stilton) // Acc. No.: 68/14 // Group: MARKETING. DAIRY PRODUCE. // Neg. no.: 60/9031 // Place of origin: Royal London School for the Blind // Period in use: Prior to 1956. // DESCRIPTION // Materials: Brown willow. // Shape and construction: Round, straight side. 1 round upsett. Slewed. Border 4-behind-1. Cover slewed & paired. No border. Twisted handle attaches cover to basket. BS. [number of bottom sticks] 4 1/2. St. [number of stakes] 17. CS. [corner sticks] 4 1/2 // Dimensions: WB. [width of bottom] 9” WT. [width of top] 10” D. [depth] 10 1/2” // Use: // Dialect names: // Distribution: // Additional notes: See S & Pr. [Basketmakers’ Lists of Sizes and Prices of Work] 1956. p.68 & 1850. Lon. [London] p.132 but smaller'

Greater London [region]

1968

Wood, willow, brown, Plant fibre, rattan

Wright, Dorothy (Recorder)