192 STRAW-PLAITING—A LOST ESSEX INDUSTRY.
importation of foreign plait, but hard as it seems on widows and
old folks, perhaps it is not an unmixed evil, for, as an old man
remarked, "when the wives earned ten or twelve shillings a
week, their men wouldn't work; now they must."
My thanks are due to Mr. Sidney Browning for taking the
photographs used in illustrating this paper.
[At the conclusion of the paper the President exhibited seven examples of fine
plaiting, which he had obtained from Mr. William Simmons, of Castle Heding-
ham, whose name appeared in Kelly's Directory (1886) as that of a "Straw Plait
Dealer." Owing to the sudden cessation of the trade a large stock is left in this
dealer's hands.
Mr. Bryan Corcoran showed a small straw-mill which had, in recent times,
been furnished with a hopper, and converted into a bird-seed crushing mill.
In the course of the discussion following the reading of the paper, Mr.
Gould stated that the chief of several causes for the decay of the industry is that
English wheat-straw is heavier than the Japanese, and ladies will have hats of
light weight. The material is now so cheapened that we no longer find ladies
turning and re-turning straw hats as in the days of a generation ago, when a hat
was expected to last for years instead of a few months.
The present-day straw plaits of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire are used
almost wholly for men's hats.]
EXPLORATION OF THE RED-HILLS.
(Preliminary Announcement.)
A Committee has been formed by the Essex Archaeological
Society and the Essex Field Club for the systematic study of
these interesting relics of antiquity, and the settlement, if
possible, of the many questions relating to them. The Society
of Antiquaries and the Club have each made grants of £10
towards the expenses of exploration, and other bodies and
private persons are expected to subscribe.
The Committee consists of:—I. Chalkley Gould, F.S.A.
(Chairman), F. Chancellor, F.R.I.B.A., Miller Christy, F.L.S.,
William Cole, F.L.S., Rev. T. H. Curling, B.A., W. H. Dalton,
F.G.S., T. V. Holmes, F.G.S., Dr. H. Laver, F.S.A., Dr. Philip
Laver, Professor R. Meldola, F.R.S., Charles H. Read, F.S.A.,
Colonel O. E. Ruck, R.E., F. W. Rudler, I.S.O., F.G.S., and
H. Wilmer, C.E., Hon. Sec. and Treasurer, St. Alban's Crescent,
Woodford Green, Essex.