MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Stanley]

Sorry. No.

[Gloria]

I thought the same Marilyn.

[Stanley]

We've talked about this job before.....

[Tizer]

Is he in a pottery?

[chinatyke]

A cooper making barrels?

[Gloria]

Capstan maker?

[Big Kev]

I remember this one, it's a great job title.

[Stanley]

Kev has realised what it is and Peter is on the right lines. I first learned about it at Gladstone Pottery at Longton, Stoke on Trent.

[Tripps]

He's surely a 'sagger maker's bottom knocker' - pretty obvious I'd have thought.

[Big Kev]

It's definitely one of the greatest ever job titles

[chinatyke]

He's surely a 'sagger maker's bottom knocker' - pretty obvious I'd have thought.

I remember that one now you've mentioned it!

[Stanley]

Not all that obvious David.... Well done. Yes, It's a sagar maker knocking the bottom of a sagar, the container in which delicate pots are stacked for firing in the bottle Kiln.
Next one?

[Tizer]

My mum's mother was born and raised in Longton and worked as a potter's printer before WW1. All the family worked in the pottery trade.

[Stanley]

I'd forgotten that Peter. I think you mentioned it a long time ago.



This Jaquard loom was working in Congleton. Work out what it was doing and from that deduce why 1901 was such a good year for the trade.

[plaques]

Dad was a tackler on ordinary Lancashire looms. He always said Jaquards were too complicated for him. I think he could manage the type on exhibition at Queen St Burnley but nothing like this one.

[PanBiker]

My mate Roger was a tackler on Lancashire looms but progressed, (or was pushed) up to retirement on to mending Jaquard looms.

[Tizer]

It was making fabric for military uniform and was used to switch the British Army in the Boer War from it's old red uniform to Khaki Serge? This was a major step forward and saved many British soldiers from being shot by the very capable Boer snipers.

[Stanley]

Sorry no. Have a very careful look at the image, can you see the multiple products?

[plaques]

Anything to do with Meghan Markle and Harry, Sorry 1901, Different bunch of leeches.

[chinatyke]

Is it making flags/bunting? Queen Victoria died in 1901 and was succeeded by Edward VII.

[Stanley]

You're edging towards it aren't you Ken. A clue for the masses. This pic was done at Berisford's in Congleton, whose motto was 'A Reputation in Ribbons'.

[Stanley]

Just seen China's post. He's correctly identified the 1901 event. Now put it all together and tell me why it was a boom year for Congleton!

[Stanley]

Sorry kids I posted this morning but the site has eaten it. Ken and China were there between them. If you look at the pic the loom is weaving embroidered bookmarks. The normal looms just made ribbon and in 1901 the death of the old Queen meant that the whole nation went into mourning and black became de rigeur, even for the normal uses of ribbon. The upsurge in orders meant that Congleton, a town who's main industry was ribbon weaving, had a boom couple of years. John Sebire, the owner of Berisford's told me this. See THIS website, the company is still in existence.

[Stanley]

What is it?

[PanBiker]

I have some tooling that does a similar job for multiplex network cable. This one is a cleaving tool for cutting fibre cables, extremely sharp point for a clean cut.