I may be inadvertently going over some old territory for long time listers, but can anyone enlighten me to the occupations of "Bonnet Sewers" and "Straw Plaiters" in Dunstable. Since, I have been searching my family members I have noted these job descriptions for female family members several times and I am puzzled as to what they relate to. Thank you, Chris in Ontario

Hi Chris Check out this website, it gives a lot of details on the straw business in Herts and Beds www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/occupations/straw-plait.htm Patti ----- Original Message ----- From: Chris Roberts To: BEDFORD-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Friday, February 17, 2006 1:57 AM Subject: [BDF] Bonnet Sewers and Straw Plaiters I may be inadvertently going over some old territory for long time listers, but can anyone enlighten me to the occupations of "Bonnet Sewers" and "Straw Plaiters" in Dunstable. Since, I have been searching my family members I have noted these job descriptions for female family members several times and I am puzzled as to what they relate to. Thank you, Chris in Ontario ==== BEDFORD Mailing List ==== To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send a message to: Bedford-L-request@rootsweb.com (if you are in mail mode i.e. receiving the messages individually or want them individually) or Bedford-D-request@rootsweb.com (if you are in digest mode i.e. receiving a digest of multiple messages or want this mode) In the BODY of the message (not the subject line) type the word subscribe or unsubscribe.

Just an additional point which may interest researchers: my grandmother came from a long line of straw plaiters, and her mother married a block-maker, another section of the Bedfordshire hat industry. My mother remembers that well into the 1920s she was still making hats for the family. One which my mother remembers most clearly is a straw hat made for her when she was about 10 years old - plaited and 'blocked' by my grandmother. Chris Roberts <c.robertsis@rogers.com> wrote: I may be inadvertently going over some old territory for long time listers, but can anyone enlighten me to the occupations of "Bonnet Sewers" and "Straw Plaiters" in Dunstable. Since, I have been searching my family members I have noted these job descriptions for female family members several times and I am puzzled as to what they relate to. Thank you, Chris in Ontario ==== BEDFORD Mailing List ==== To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send a message to: Bedford-L-request@rootsweb.com (if you are in mail mode i.e. receiving the messages individually or want them individually) or Bedford-D-request@rootsweb.com (if you are in digest mode i.e. receiving a digest of multiple messages or want this mode) In the BODY of the message (not the subject line) type the word subscribe or unsubscribe.

This is a great description straw plaiters that Eve posted some time ago. Kind regards Kirsten "In Bedfordshire one girl in three was employed as a straw plaiter. Plaiting straw, in the basic form, was simple triple cross over like children's hair plaits, but sometimes in very complicated patterns, with peaks and air holes. It was made in the home or at village plait schools from split long wheat straw to make ropes of plait, which was then sewn up into hats, bonnets, straw baskets, and in the coarser form, into round skips for packaging. It was a major occupation in Bedfordshire, east Bucks and West Herts. Luton was the centre of the hat making trade. The straw was collected and sold to the plaiters by straw dealers or higglers, who also collected finished plait to take to market. In 1860 an official report noted that a 'well ordered' family engaged in plaiting could 'obtain as much or more than the husband who was at work on a neighbouring farm'. The home trade was spoiled by cheap imports from Italy. Luton policemen used to wear straw helmets in summer. And after the straw hat trade declined and cardboard was used to make packing boxes, Luton was also the centre for that industry. Because the straw plait girls could walk round the village and the fields plaiting away (unlike lace makers, who sat at home on their stools), it was entirely possible to get up to naughtiness while still apparently working hard. The plait girls had a bit of a reputation for, friendliness, shall we say. However, because the straw had to be dampened and kept damp to make it supple enough to bend without breaking, they tended to wet the straw between their lips - causing roughness in the end. One ungallant young man observed that 'kissing a straw plaiter be like kissing the old cow's backside' (which didn't stop him doing it.) " -----Original Message----- From: Chris Roberts [mailto:c.robertsis@rogers.com] Sent: Friday, 17 February 2006 12:58 PM To: BEDFORD-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [BDF] Bonnet Sewers and Straw Plaiters I may be inadvertently going over some old territory for long time listers, but can anyone enlighten me to the occupations of "Bonnet Sewers" and "Straw Plaiters" in Dunstable. Since, I have been searching my family members I have noted these job descriptions for female family members several times and I am puzzled as to what they relate to. Thank you, Chris in Ontario