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1
British & Irish Glass / Re: Royal Brierley rummer ?
« Last post by Anne on Today at 05:28:19 PM »
Hmmm I can't tell if the DD one is cut or not as the image isn't clear enough, it was the shape of the glass itself that made me wonder if it was the same style Keith. Perhaps send an email to RB asking them if they can ID it for you?
2
Scotland in Pagan Times - Joseph Anderson, LL.D. (Keeper of the National Museum of the Antiquaries of Scotland)
The Rhind lectures in archeology for 1881:

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Scotland_in_Pagan_Times/9lgJAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=norway+linen+smoother&pg=PR13&printsec=frontcover

Pages 36 and 37 give a long description of the lady from Caithness' linen smoother and the linen smoother found in a grave (both non handled)
He says
'Its purpose is demonstrated by the facts recorded by Nicholaysen and Lorange , who state that in Mandal Amt and in several remote districts on the west coast of Norway, the women still use them for giving a gloss to their white linen caps, and generally for getting up a gloss on linen by friction'.


I don't know who Nicholaysen and Lorange were so I'm not sure when their comments were made that he refers to but the implication is that it was fairly contemporary to his writing.  Obviously this was about the ones without handles.

It could be he is referring to Nicholaysen's 'Norske Fornlevninger' Christiania 1866
and
'Samlungen af Norske Oldsager i Bergen's museum', ved A. Lorang. Bergen 1876

which are both mentioned here -  also 1881 Joseph Anderson,'Scotland in Early Christian Times' second series.
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Scotland_in_Early_Christian_Times/kLVNAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Nicolaysen+and+Lorange+mandal+amt&printsec=frontcover




There is more information in the smaller text  about his comments on the one from Caithness being remembered and then found in the lady's house, and he more or less says that this brought information to light in living memory but commented on how it demonstrates how quickly use of old implements could be forgotten.

He seems to say hers is 'modern' although it looks just like the viking find one. Perhaps he says modern because it was found in her  house and used in living memory.

He goes on to say 'The placing of this specimen (of the modern type) in the museum has brought to light other three specimens of modern calendaring implements of glass.  They are of larger size and furnished with handles, which are also of glass'.

Therefore this link to the lecture gives a little more detail than before especially since three with handles have appeared.  Presumably the one from Gribdae Farm but perhaps the other two are the ones from the Museum of London?



The two extra linen smoothers with handles (in addition to the Gribdae farm handled smoother) were:
1 x given by J. Romilly Allen 1881,  5 1/2"diameter with handle 7 1/2" long
1 x from St Michael's Inn, Fifeshire - James Waddell 1881 , 5" diameter with handle 7 3/4" long

Source: page 326 items 133 and 134,  from Catalogue of the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland 1892

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Catalogue_of_the_National_Museum_of_Anti/aZgodjaHjUwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=linen+smoother+handle&pg=PA326&printsec=frontcover

J. Romilly Allen was John Romilly Allen:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Romilly_Allen#:~:text=Having%20begun%20with%20the%20antiquities,in%20the%20University%20of%20Edinburgh.

I think the letter from Hamilton from Stewartry Museum a year or two earlier re the handled one from Gribdae Farm, brought these two additional items into the open.

So I think not the ones in the Museum of London as I mused in my earlier post.

All three seem to have Scotland as source.
Mine also came from Scotland.

There is the smoother found at the Woodchester site with handle.

1 - dark green glass Bonhams dated c. 1650 - recovered from River Thames.
https://www.bonhams.com/auction/25846/lot/792/a-dark-green-glass-linen-smoother-british-circa-1650/

A number in the Museum of London in parts (heads and handles), and 2 x whole.


Jamestowne excavation x 10.


1 in the Science Museum London (they have it listed as 19th century?)

2 from museum in Wales seen on the Glassmakers site

1 seen on Worthpoint - linked on this thread


1 x other on this thread




3
British & Irish Glass / Re: Royal Brierley rummer ?
« Last post by keith on Yesterday at 11:59:06 PM »
I'm not sure Anne, is that cutting on those around the bowl ? mine is plain .
4
Glass / Re: 9” Tazza hand blown, hand decorated
« Last post by createdbear on Yesterday at 10:48:36 PM »
Excellent. Glad the mystery is solved.
5
The only link I could find to Kirkcudbright was 1750 when they were plaiting straw to make  horses' collars.  Though itt doesn't say they flattened the plaits :

'The implements of the time were of the rudest description. The roots of the all-prevailing whin formed the teeth of the harrows; these had to be taken home every evening to be sharpened and hardened in the fire. For the plough chains they took the skin of any of their horses that died, cut it into stripes, and tanned them; these were called "strekins." Their horses’ collars were manufactured by plaiting straw, usually done in the evenings by some of themselves. Thus they had a very cheap harnessing for their horses or bullocks—six of the latter and two of the former being common in one plough in 1750.[/b]'

http://www.kirkcudbright.co/historyarticle.asp?ID=53&p=29&g=5
6
1883

Journal of the British Archaeological Association
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Journal_of_the_British_Archaeologica/oeRAgKIO-qYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=illustrated+archaeologist+linen+smoother&pg=PA332&printsec=frontcover

Page 332 - a few pages earlier mentions Joseph Anderson's Rhind lectures re the linen smoother with no handle found in viking graves but also says:
'Similar implements were in use in Scotland ... smoothing linen; and they were employed also in the straw-plaiting industry in Bedfordshire for flattening the plaits'.


Straw plaiting info - from 1725:
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_World_s_Commercial_Products/tqMm7FPJyEgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=straw-plaiting+industry+flattening+plaits&pg=PA150&printsec=frontcover
page 150

1844 description of using hot iron for flattening seams in straw hats - page 161:
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Useful_Arts_Employed_in_the_Producti/pTtkAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=smoothing+flat+plaits+straw&pg=PA161&printsec=frontcover

Here from 1826 page 428 the flattening of plaits is described as being done with a 'small hand mill':
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/An_Account_of_the_Results_of_Experiments/iC_itEA32qkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=straw+plait+flattening&pg=PA428&printsec=frontcover

Here from 1830  page 231 - though it mentions using a bone or ivory polisher:
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Gill_s_technological_afterw_Gill_s_scien/n0YEAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=straw+plait+flattening&pg=PA231&printsec=frontcover

Flattening a straw by 'rubbing it forcibly with a polisher on its bright side' and 'whilst it is laid upon a strong and smooth plank of apple tree':
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Gill_s_technological_afterw_Gill_s_scien/n0YEAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=straw+plait+flattening&pg=PA231&printsec=frontcover
It does however go on to talk about flattening plaits.


Flat plaits here:
https://www.strawcraftsmen.co.uk/project10.php
7
1805 discussion on glossing linen. - The Nature of Things by John Mason Good
Translation of latin poem
page 158 - talks about glossing linen and using presses.  No mention of a glass implement when referring to the past or the present.

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Nature_of_Things/yYjcEGiBLcIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=glossing+linen&pg=PA158&printsec=frontcover
8



for the 10 linen smoothers found at Jamestowne (4 discarded in what I think was referred to as the First Well)

there were not that many women who made it to Jamestowne (note- was linen glossing solely womens' work?)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jamestown_colonists

More than ten women ( I lost count ) were on the various arrivals of boats.  Many appear to be the wives of the men.  I could see a few maidservants but I don't think 10.
That's quite a lot of linen smoothers.  Perhaps each wife carried her own? That's if they were all contemporary to the settlers rather than later items discarded at the site.


I've tried to count up again and there were more than 10 women who arrived in total but not that many more.  Perhaps 5 listed as servant.
10
I found the two pictured  in the Museum of London - dated c.1700 however they seem to have  many more but no pictures. Apparently 28 items but some are listed as handles and some as heads. They all seem to be quite early on their dating but no pictures to compare apart from two and one broken one with part handle.






for the 10 linen smoothers found at Jamestowne (4 discarded in what I think was referred to as the First Well)

there were not that many women who made it to Jamestowne (note- was linen glossing solely womens' work?)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jamestown_colonists

More than ten women ( I lost count ) were on the various arrivals of boats.  Many appear to be the wives of the men.  I could see a few maidservants but I don't think 10.
That's quite a lot of linen smoothers.  Perhaps each wife carried her own? That's if they were all contemporary to the settlers rather than later items discarded at the site.
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