Branscombe Lace
BRANSCOMBE lace is one of a group of needlelaces in which a woven tape replaces the couched foundation threads — the tape is tacked to the pattern and the spaces then filled with a variety of stitches. Lace using prefabricated tapes has been made since the 17th century, when it provided a simple and relatively quick way of imitating more elaborate ‘classic’ needlelaces. During the latter half of the 19th century it was a popular hobby, and patterns for what was known as ‘Renaissance Lace’ were widely available.
As competition from machine-made laces increased many commercial lacemakers also turned to the relatively quick and easy tape lace in order to earn a living. Branscombe, a small fishing village on the south Devon coast where Honiton lace was made, has become particularly associated with one style of tape lace which was probably introduced by John Tucker in the late 1860s. The Branscombe workers had their own names for the various needlelace filings used, and these together with the buttonholed bars with their distinctive ‘nibs’ or picots and the ‘purl’ edging of buttonholed scallops are typical of Branscombe lace.
This cuff from the Lace Guild collection (W.200.1986A2) dates from the late nineteenth century. The raised embroidery on needle-made net is unusual.