Author: Edmondson, Avril and Mary Moseley.
Title: Lacemaking in Ripon: a history.
Language: English
21x29cms, 91 pages, softcover, 2010.
Out-of-print and difficult to source.
ISBN 978-0-9547077-2-9.
A comprehensive history of lacemaking as a cottage industry in the town of Ripon, Yorkshire. An initial section (40 pages) is given over to an illustrated study of lace making from 16th to the 21st centuries, with maps, coloured and black-and-white illustrations. It includes details about lace lamps, lace pillows, Ripon bobbins and prominent people in the lace community.
A second section (50 pages) comprises local lace patterns (mainly edgings with some insertions, in Torchon, Point Ground and Beds, including a heraldic design in Binche as per the front cover), each with information about its historical origin and technical description (techniques and threads used to re-create it), 7-9”-long prickings and b&w working diagram. The designs range from the very simple (7 to 124 pairs) to the very challenging.
A thorough assessment of a lesser-known English regional lace, of use both to the lace historian and the lace maker. All patterns are linked to local production and sale in Ripon, giving them a special sense of authenticity. It complements and expands on the mention (and photo of a Torchon lace on page 578) of Ripon lace in Bury Palliser’s “History of Lace” (1902).
– Rod, 19/11/20
