Cockle Selling Basket by Clare Rivera is a split hazel basket which was used by the Penclawdd Cockle Women to transport and sell their wares in the Welsh Valleys. This version is an arm basket which has a fancy handle to catch the eye. This basket is an exact copy of a 100 year old basket discovered in a cockle family home in Penclawdd which is now under Clare's guardianship.
A larger and very robust version was taken to the sands for cockle gathering - as far as we know none of these survived their hard lives. The basket was made by the men of the village for the women in their family. The basket became extinct in the 1950s when the buff Stake and Strand oval version became commercially available for the cockle pickers to buy.
Material: Hazel hoop and frame, skeined hazel handle, woven with split hazel
Dimensions:
cm: Length 29cm, Width 40cm, Depth 28cm
inches: Length 11.4in, Width 15.7in, Depth 11.0in
Care Instructions: Dust with a feather duster
