Norah
Beatrice was the third daughter of Assheton Biddulph of Moneyguyneen and
Florence Caroline Boothby his wife. Norah Biddulph’s life took a very different
path from that of her sisters. There are many accounts of her life.
Norah went to Egypt to live with her sister. Almost
immediately her sister's husband was taken seriously ill and had to return to England. Norah
left on her own found a job at Bourg el Arab in the Lybian desert where Bedouin
women were being taught to weave. This fascinated her and later she went to Sweden to learn in earnest all about spinning
and weaving before settling in Somerset.[1]
In Somerset
she met Gladys Dickinson.
Gladys Dickinson's
father was world famous for his knowledge of oriental porcelain and the family
lived in Chiswick. In 1912 Frank Dickinson bought a farm near Canterbury for his sons but when war broke
out they joined the navy and it fell on Gladys to run the farm. She could shear
74 sheep singlehanded. In 1921 her father died and the estate split up. Gladys
was left with a few pounds and her ancient motor bike.[2]
Norah and Gladys became friends and took over the Old Forge at Over
Stowey. Life was about to change.
In 1956 the ladies
were given a piece of serpentine stone by Mrs Harry Fox of Fox Brothers and Co.
of Wellington, which they used for inspiration to create a length of cloth that
featured the colours of this iconic stone. This saw the start of the pair
taking inspiration from stones from around the country to create their cloth.[3]
Other contemporary voices can tell
their story better than I can.
They obtain fleece
straight from the sheep's back and spin it into yarn, wash it and dye the wool.
The dye they use is obtained straight from the hedgerows and anywhere where
wild flowers grow. The list of dyes and their sources is staggering. Nettle
leaves give a yellow green. Dock roots brown. Mares tail bright yellow and so
on. When the wool is dry it is ready for weaving. They set up the warp or the
base for the materials they are weaving and with magician like fingers thread
the warp through the heddles which determine the type of weave they want. The
wool on a spindle is pushed between the warp and this is pushed tight against
the fabric by pulling the head [?] against it. They weave tweeds for skirts,
knee rugs, stoles, head squares, vestments and altar cloths some of which are
in Wells Cathedral…[4]
The women became
famous for their work throughout Somerset
and beyond. They gave courses on their craft and subsequently set up the Somerset Guild of Weavers,
Spinners and Dyers, which is still in operation today.[5]
More information about the Quantock Weavers and examples of
their work can be found at:
http://weavinginthequantocks.blogspot.ie/
A more detailed account of their
lives can also be found in Woven from a
Stone: the story of the Quantock Weavers, by Hubert Fox, Taunton, 1968.
Norah Beatrice Biddulph died in Taunton in 1972.
I have just been to a delightful exhibition at Somerset Rural Life Museum showing an example of their work, and further interest in them led me to your post. Thank you for sharing.
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