Bucks point lace
Encyclopedia
Bucks point is a bobbin lace
from the East Midlands
in England. "Bucks" is short for Buckinghamshire
, which was the main centre of production. The lace was also made in the nearby counties of Bedfordshire
and Northamptonshire
. Bucks point is very similar to the French Lille lace, and thus is often called English Lille. It is also similar to Mechlin lace
and Chantilly lace
.
Bucks lace has a gimp thread outlining the pattern. It is made in one piece on the lace pillow, at full width and not in strips like Honiton lace. Common designs are floral and geometric. The floral designs are like those in Mechlin and Lille laces, but Bucks lace is generally simpler than the Belgian laces, and is made of linen or silk. It can have picot
s along the edge.
refugees from Mechlin near Brussels and Lille, then in the Spanish Netherlands, arrived in the East Midlands. It was recorded in Flanders in the 1690s. By 1698 a full fourth of the population of Buckinghamshire, or about 30,000 people, were employed making lace. Children were taught how to make the lace beginning at age 5, and by age 12 could support themselves off the lace they made. It was believed that teaching the children when they were that young was the only way to gain the speed and skill needed to make lacemaking profitable after machine made lace became common.
Bobbin lace
Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually determined by a pattern or pricking pinned on the...
from the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
in England. "Bucks" is short for Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, which was the main centre of production. The lace was also made in the nearby counties of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
and Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. Bucks point is very similar to the French Lille lace, and thus is often called English Lille. It is also similar to Mechlin lace
Mechlin lace
Mechlin lace is a bobbin lace originally produced in Mechelen. It is one of the best known Flemish laces. It is fine, transparent, and looks best when worn over another color. It was made in Mecheln, Antwerp, Lier and Turnhout...
and Chantilly lace
Chantilly lace
Chantilly lace is a handmade bobbin lace named after the city of Chantilly, France, in a tradition dating from the 17th century, though the most famous are silk laces introduced in the 18th century...
.
Bucks lace has a gimp thread outlining the pattern. It is made in one piece on the lace pillow, at full width and not in strips like Honiton lace. Common designs are floral and geometric. The floral designs are like those in Mechlin and Lille laces, but Bucks lace is generally simpler than the Belgian laces, and is made of linen or silk. It can have picot
Picot
A picot is a loop of thread created for functional or ornamental purposes along the edge of lace, ribbon, crocheted, knitted or tatted material. These loops vary in size, according to their intended function and to their creator's artistic intention....
s along the edge.
History
Bucks lace was in evidence as early as the 16th century, though it didn't become fully developed until the 19th century. Production has continued up until the present, though recently mostly by hobbyists. Bucks lace most likely originated in the latter half of the 16th century, when HuguenotHuguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
refugees from Mechlin near Brussels and Lille, then in the Spanish Netherlands, arrived in the East Midlands. It was recorded in Flanders in the 1690s. By 1698 a full fourth of the population of Buckinghamshire, or about 30,000 people, were employed making lace. Children were taught how to make the lace beginning at age 5, and by age 12 could support themselves off the lace they made. It was believed that teaching the children when they were that young was the only way to gain the speed and skill needed to make lacemaking profitable after machine made lace became common.