The cottages and the village life of rural England . nt goes, comes from the YorkshireWensleydale, which may not be despised. Buckinghamshire villagers still make beautiful lace, owingto the encouragement they receive from the North Bucks LaceAssociation. The art came to the county with certain Flemishrefugees who fled to England about 1570, and settled at Olney,Newport Pagnell, and other neighbouring villages. In the seven-teenth century the lace industry was most flourishing, and Buckswas the great lace-making centre of England. You have seenthe lace-maker at work, doubtless, with her pillow
The cottages and the village life of rural England . nt goes, comes from the YorkshireWensleydale, which may not be despised. Buckinghamshire villagers still make beautiful lace, owingto the encouragement they receive from the North Bucks LaceAssociation. The art came to the county with certain Flemishrefugees who fled to England about 1570, and settled at Olney,Newport Pagnell, and other neighbouring villages. In the seven-teenth century the lace industry was most flourishing, and Buckswas the great lace-making centre of England. You have seenthe lace-maker at work, doubtless, with her pillow on a stool infront of her, her design in horn parchment laid flat on it, and herbobbins and pins, some with sealing-wax heads, and her deft fingersrapidly moving the bobbins and weaving beautiful patterns thatdelight the eyes of the connoisseur. Cowper, who knew the lace-maker well, thus painted her picture in 1780 : Yon cottager, who weaves at her own doorPillow and bobbins, all her little store;Content, though mean, and cheerful, if not gay, 168. LIFE OF RURAL ENGLAND Shuffling her threads about the livelong day,Just earns a scanty pittance : and at nightLies down secure, her heart and pocket light;She for her humble sphere by nature fit,Has little understanding, and no wit;Receives no praise ; but though her lot be such(Toilsome and indigent) she renders much ;Just knows and knows no more, her Bible true—A truth the brilliant Frenchman never knew ;And in that charter reads with sparkling eyesHer title to a treasure in the skies. The lace-makers were very busy when gentlemen loved toadorn themselves with this material. King William the Thirdsbill for lace in one year amounted to £2459 19s., and he used itfor handkerchiefs, cravats, razor-cloths, and night-shirts, and hisQueen Mary spent £1918 a year on lace. Catherine of Aragonand her maids are said to have taught the Bucks folk the art, and alace named after her is still made at Towcester. Newport Pagnellused to be the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectcottage, bookyear1912
