Meaning
A person who made lace by hand using bobbins or needles.
Description
Lacemakers produced delicate decorative lace using either bobbin lace techniques on a pillow or needle lace techniques. The trade was concentrated in specific regions including Devon, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire where the craft was passed from mother to daughter over generations. Many lacemakers worked at home as cottage workers, often producing lace from childhood. The work required extraordinary patience, fine eyesight and nimble fingers. Machine-made lace from the Nottingham factories undercut hand lacemakers severely from the early 19th century and caused great hardship in lacemaking communities.
Also Known As
Bobbin Lace Maker, Pillow Lace Maker
Commonly Found In
- Census Returns
- Parish Registers
- Poor Law Records
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