One of the youngest workers in Hoy was Jean Lyon, 14, of Clett with the oldest being Ann Lyon, 55 recorded in the census as living in ‘A Chamber’.
The Strawplaiters of Hoy, Graemsay, Walls, Flotta and Faray
A Few Words About Straw
Straw was once the choice material for Orcadians which they skilfully twisted and prepared for a myriad of uses around the farmstead.
The 19th Century Stronsay Strawplaiters
Throughout the first half of the 19th Century, the strawplaiting industry employed thousands of women in Orkney.
Straw Plaiting in 19th Century Orkney
Over the course of its 50+ years of manufacture this sector employed thousands of women, some in ‘workshops’ and others in their own homes.
Manufacture of Straw Articles in Orkney: Part 4
The last and largest comes the high-backed or ‘heeded stul’. This stool was at one time the easy chair of the Orkney cottage.
Manufacture of Straw Articles in Orkney: Part 3
When rents were paid in kind and grain had to be stored till summer, farmers not having lofts had to store their grain in what was called a ‘beek’.
Manufacture of Straw Articles in Orkney: Part 2
Simmans: This is a strong straw rope formed of two cants twisted together and spun by hand alone.
Manufacture of Straw Articles in Orkney
The materials from which articles of straw were made were principally bent, and the straw of black oats.
