Straw Bonnet Maker

[behindthefrogs]

Looking at the extended families of my ancestors around Luton and Hitchin which number around 300 people I have indentified about 50 who are straw plaiters or bonnet makers.  That is one third of the women and there very few for whom I have indentified different occupation.

It was of course the local industry and almost the only piece work available to the wives of agricultural workers.

David

[Zelley]

Looking at the extended families of my ancestors around Luton and Hitchin which number around 300 people I have indentified about 50 who are straw plaiters or bonnet makers.  That is one third of the women and there very few for whom I have indentified different occupation.
David

Now does any of your SAICH names involved in the Straw Bonnet industry.

Also, do they have a connection to London?

[behindthefrogs]

The Saich family in the Uk has two distinct and seperate roots.  There is what I call the Essex branch which lived in Essex and East London.  I know very little about these.

The other branch is in NW Middlesex and seem to be descended from a single immigrant to Ruislip from Ghent in the mid 17th century.  I have about 70% of these on a single tree and there are no Straw Bonnet makers amongst them.

[Zelley]

The Saich family in the Uk has two distinct and seperate roots.  There is what I call the Essex branch which lived in Essex and East London.  I know very little about these.

I believe, one of the London Saich family members married
a ZELLEY gal from the Wandsworth region (post WW II)

[astral14]

I have a straw platter in Bedfordshire. I dont know what the straw plaits were turned into. Could be bonnets, could be anything I guess. I am guessing that as with my Bedfordshire lace making ancestors, it was probably a cottage industry, or something that was done to supplement the income from agricultural labouring in my family.

The hat trade was big business in Luton and the surrounding area at that time. Most of one of the lines of one of my family branches at that time and who hail from Bedfordshire were all straw plaiters, bonnet makers etc. Hope that might help.

[janan]

Hi Astral
Welcome to Rootschat
My mum's side come from Luton and surrounding area - majority of them were involved in the hat making industry. It was in decline by the end of the 19th century but didn't disappear till the 1930's - my gran born 1901 was a strawplaiter.

http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/topics/t012-strawhats.htm

gives quite a bit of info

Cheers Jan

[astral14]

Thanks - my family were Ward. There seems to be a hige number of them all engaged in this trade or its related industries.