Revival of ancient lace-making craft led by N.Z. woman

Press, 26 May 1979, Page 10

Revival of ancient lace-making craft led by N.Z. woman

From KEN COATES in London

The making of delicate, han d-made, Coggeshall lace, a craft which had almost died out in Britain, is being revived deep in the Essex countryside — and the driving force behind the move is an enthusiastic New Zealander, Mrs Anne Hampton. Due to her initiative, 22 women in the district around the beautiful old town of Coggeshall have learned the ancient skill

and are making the elegant lace m their own homes. Lt is now a burgeoning cottage industry, and Mrs Hampton, who lives at Oxley House, Toileshunt D’Arcy, five miles from Coggeshall, has formed the Coggeshall Lace Company. This, she says, is mainly to protect the craft from imitators. Mrs Hampton, born in Dunedin and daughter Of a former vicar of Hampden, the Rev. J. M. Thompson went to Craighead Diocesan School, Timaru. She trained as a nurse and came to England 22 years ago. She married and has two children, but is now a widow.

“I was looking around for something worth while to do and. when I saw some old Coggeshall lace

framed, T realised the making of this was distinctly Essex,” she said. “I found no-one was making it any more, so resolved to try to revive it, and everything has fallen into place.” Mrs Hampton found little was recorded about the distinctive lace. But it is known that a Frenchman named Drago settled in Coggeshall with two daughters in 1812 and

began employing local women to make what is known as tambour lace. This is embroidered lace, worked on fine net, tulle or muslin with a tambour hook, similar to a crochet hook, but smaller and much finer.

It is Eastern in origin and was introduced to Europe in the eighteenth century, and favoured by the French, especially the ladies of the Court. Coggeshall tambour lace-making became a thriving village industry, and, in 1829, a total of 24 lace-makers were invited to Ireland to help found the now-famous Limerick lace.

In 1832, a lace robe was made for Queen Adelaide, and in the next 10 years about 380 lace-makers were at work.

By 1914, with the development of the textile industry, the craft had almost disappeared, but it did revive temporarily in the 1930 s when Queen Mary bought two Coggeshall lace dresses and a tablecloth. But again it died with the outbreak of war; and although there are still living wmen who learned the skill in the 1930 s in the district the lace had not been made for nearly 40 years. First Mrs Hampton learned the art herself. She claims it is not difficult “for a skilled needlewoman,” and the basis is

a chain stitch. She was taught by a lace-maker who had learned the craft in the traditional way from older women. Mrs Hampton began a class in her own home, a fitting venue because one wing is a seventeenth century cottage still with the original beamed interior walls. Ten women began making the lace, which is fashioned on a frame over which the cotton net is stretched and designs made on this foundation. The group has grown to 22, and many designs have been taken from old lace

which has been photographed. At their first exhibition and sale the group sold delicately fashioned collars for $24, framed lace pictures for $46, and a chrsitening dress for $l6O — this dress representing about 25 hours of painstaking work. Mrs H. Kyan, born in Switzerland, has a key role —sh e sews and completes the product. The lace-makers are paid by Mrs Hampton up to $4O a week, depending on the intricacy of the lace they make, and the hours involved.