Rooting through a large carboard box full of junk at the carboot on Sunday, I spotted this little cross-stitch decorated box. Anyway, to cut a long story short, the heavens opened, so I nabbed it quick along with an antique(y) lace scarf. Paid my ?1 and ran for cover.
Imagine my surprise when I began to take a close look at it back home. The box is decorated in tiny cross stitch in two shades of blue and has the initials K.S.A. on the top. Inside, underneath a wad of tissue paper was an old looking head-dress. Some flowers are made from fabric. They've faded with age. Other flower petals and buds are made from wax. The leaves could be paper or fabric - difficult to tell. These are all attached to a wire which fastens simply by hooking together. I took it out carefully because it looked fragile and underneath was a letter - a handwritten one which reads as follows:
"This box was entirely made for me by my Grandmother (Black Granny what sits in a chair) for me.
Inside is my wedding head dress and bunch I wore at the waist, & enclosed is a bit of my Mother's which she wore at her wedding on Aug.22nd 1888. (she was only 18 and 5 days).
Black Granny (only so-called by you children because she always wore a black dress) made this box for me sitting in her window - the one nearest to the Ayston Rd. upstairs in what is now the Food & Council Offices when she lived with us there from 1917 - Easter 1919."
On the base of the hand-made box, in cross stitch, is the following text:
Box made for my Granddaughter Kathleen Adkins by me Catharine Forde 1918 aged 89
Its so sad that something so lovely should find its way in a box full of junk sold by a house clearance man at a carboot. I keep thinking about Kathleen and Catharine. Kathleen in her black dress - most probably a widow, and Catharine looking beautiful and wearing her headdress with pride.
What to do with it? May be there are no descendants and that's why it ended up where it did. Or may be nobody wanted to keep it in the family any longer. There is an address on the letter, in Wadebridge, which is about 30 miles or so away. It might be worth doing a little research to see if family members still live there. May be there's a local museum there which would like it. I know there's one in the next town from here with lots of artefacts found locally or donated by local people, but they are specific to that particular town.
Any suggestions?
Topic: A box of someone's memories (Read 8736 times)