April 2024 Meeting Report
'Pins and Needles' by Jean Surrey
Pins and needles are so familiar in our everyday lives that we do not give much thought about the history and various uses of these objects. At our April meeting Jean Surrey provided many interesting facts and brought along examples from her collection.
Jean’s opening remark ‘A pin was responsible for the death of Hitler’ made us sit up. She was referring to pins used for tracking Hitler’s movements and identifying his hiding place in WW2. Some of us had heard the saying ‘See a pin and pick it up and all day long you will have good luck’ and also the phrase ’pin money’ relating to modest earnings for the work some women did to support the family or for a personal treat.
Historically pins can be described as everyday items and needles as coveted. From 1356 The London Pin Guild traded from Cheapside in London. To avoid regulations and duties, the trade moved to areas such as Bristol where the right minerals for brass and iron were available. Before the Industrial Revolution, pin and needle making was a cottage industry, families living and working in rows of houses. During the sixteenth century Islamic Spanish refugees from political and religious persecution brought their skills in drawn wire. Also during the sixteenth century Redditch, Near Birmingham, had become a main area for making these products. Forge Mill (now a museum) used water to power machinery in the various processes. Sewing needle manufacturers Henry Milward & Sons was established there in 1730, merging with John James Needles (now Entaco Ltd.) in 1912.
In early times the purpose of pins was to fasten items together – such as animal skins or woven fabric – to make clothes and shelter. The earliest pins were made from wood, bone and even thorns. Brass Roman pins have been found. Pins were found on The Mary Rose but no needles. Iron, steel and brass replaced early materials. Presents of pin cushions have been popular throughout the ages and those dating from the Crimean War were made by injured soldiers as a form of therapy. Jean showed us an assortment of pin boxes made from bone, wood and ivory. Hair and hat pins which adorned towering hairstyles and large hats have become sought after collectables.
Needles were highly valued as they could be used for fine work such as clothes making, tapestry and embroidery as well as upholstery, sail making, saddlery and for surgical and other uses. Requiring an eye and sharp points up to 20 stages were needed to produce needles. Long lengths of wire had to be cut and then stretched to provide different widths, then made pliable and flattened to enable the eye to be formed. Pointers earned the most money – but they did not live much beyond thirty, dying from ‘Pointer’s Rot’ caused by dust created during the process and polishing operations were also hazardous. Jean showed us her collection of needle packets, many very decorative, often used for advertising.
Christina Tyler, Programme Organiser
Pins and needles are so familiar in our everyday lives that we do not give much thought about the history and various uses of these objects. At our April meeting Jean Surrey provided many interesting facts and brought along examples from her collection.
Jean’s opening remark ‘A pin was responsible for the death of Hitler’ made us sit up. She was referring to pins used for tracking Hitler’s movements and identifying his hiding place in WW2. Some of us had heard the saying ‘See a pin and pick it up and all day long you will have good luck’ and also the phrase ’pin money’ relating to modest earnings for the work some women did to support the family or for a personal treat.
Historically pins can be described as everyday items and needles as coveted. From 1356 The London Pin Guild traded from Cheapside in London. To avoid regulations and duties, the trade moved to areas such as Bristol where the right minerals for brass and iron were available. Before the Industrial Revolution, pin and needle making was a cottage industry, families living and working in rows of houses. During the sixteenth century Islamic Spanish refugees from political and religious persecution brought their skills in drawn wire. Also during the sixteenth century Redditch, Near Birmingham, had become a main area for making these products. Forge Mill (now a museum) used water to power machinery in the various processes. Sewing needle manufacturers Henry Milward & Sons was established there in 1730, merging with John James Needles (now Entaco Ltd.) in 1912.
In early times the purpose of pins was to fasten items together – such as animal skins or woven fabric – to make clothes and shelter. The earliest pins were made from wood, bone and even thorns. Brass Roman pins have been found. Pins were found on The Mary Rose but no needles. Iron, steel and brass replaced early materials. Presents of pin cushions have been popular throughout the ages and those dating from the Crimean War were made by injured soldiers as a form of therapy. Jean showed us an assortment of pin boxes made from bone, wood and ivory. Hair and hat pins which adorned towering hairstyles and large hats have become sought after collectables.
Needles were highly valued as they could be used for fine work such as clothes making, tapestry and embroidery as well as upholstery, sail making, saddlery and for surgical and other uses. Requiring an eye and sharp points up to 20 stages were needed to produce needles. Long lengths of wire had to be cut and then stretched to provide different widths, then made pliable and flattened to enable the eye to be formed. Pointers earned the most money – but they did not live much beyond thirty, dying from ‘Pointer’s Rot’ caused by dust created during the process and polishing operations were also hazardous. Jean showed us her collection of needle packets, many very decorative, often used for advertising.
Christina Tyler, Programme Organiser