TV antiques expert Eric Knowles is parting with his mother’s 40-year-old clog collection and rare historical mugs to honour her love of social history.
Eric, a familiar face on shows such as Bargain Hunt and Antiques Roadshow, said: “My mother June Knowles, who passed away at the age of 88 in April, was a diehard and proud Lancastrian who had a wide knowledge of many subjects. However, she was particularly keen on collecting objects that reflected the social history of Lancashire and the North West.
“This is evident in her pottery mugs. They commemorate the Blackburn Riots of 1878 when Lancastrian cotton workers faced pay cuts and the 1819 Peterloo Massacre at St Peter’s Field, Manchester, in 1819. That event left 18 people dead and 400-700 injured when cavalry charged into a crowd of around 60,000 people gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation due to economic hardship. Though the Peterloo Massacre mug has seen better days, both are exceptionally rare.
“Her clog collection followed the same reasoning and concentrated on small children, on average aged between two and three years. At a time when infant mortality was high, in many circumstances these examples of footwear were a child’s one and only pair of clogs.”
June’s collection is now set to go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers, a firm Eric assists in a consultant valuer role. The clogs and mugs will be offered in the November 23-28 Antiques and Collectors Auction guided at £300-£400.
Eric said: “As a girl, my mother lived a 10-minute walk from a family of clog makers and their shop in Leeds Road, Nelson, the town where I was born in Pendle, Lancashire. When I was a small boy I remember watching clog-makers at work behind the large shop window. Their equipment is now in Towneley Hall Museum in Burnley.
“Her clog collection began about 40 years ago when you could pick up a pair for £5. In later years £50 became the norm for a pair in good condition fitted with iron soles which children back then used to delight by ‘sparking’ them on the cobble stones.
“Some are stamped with makers’ marks but most are anonymous. There are about 60 pairs in her collection which she displayed in shallow-glazed table cabinets. An extremely rare mid-14th century black leather child’s right shoe is also in the auction. The medieval artefact was found in a waterlogged condition in York.
“It seems a shame to have historical items like this tucked away. My mother bought them to remember what life was like for poor Lancashire families, particularly children facing poverty in Victorian England. She would have wanted to see them purchased by collectors or museums to ensure their difficult lives were never forgotten.”
During the Industrial Revolution (c.1760-1840) and beyond, clogs became common place as workers needed strong, cheap footwear. Men, women and children wore clasped clogs, particularly from the 1840s and 1920s. Though traditionally associated with Lancashire, they were worn all over the country. Sometimes children who wore them never owned them. They were lent to children whose families could not afford to buy shoes.
Auction: The June Knowles clog and mug collection will be offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ November 23-28 Antiques and Collectors Auction with a guide price of £300-£400.
Catalogues/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
Enquiries: [email protected]
Valuation services: Eric Knowles, a consultant valuer with Hansons Auctioneers, can assess antiques and collectables being considered for auction. To find out more, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.
