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Norfolk gansey patterns

Sheringham


Sheringham is renowned for many fine gansey patterns (in both senses of the word "fine"). This section is a testament to the abundance and variety of patterns created in this small town. Almost every pattern was only knitted once, which I hope lays to rest the myth perpetuated by lazy journalists that "each port had it's own pattern". There is clear Scottish influence in the patterns - the half yoke, the fineness, the motifs, close-fitting with some buttoned at the neck and several Scottish leather knitting belts have been collected from here too. It is known that some of the knitters travelled to Yarmouth to meet friends among the Scots herring lasses on their annual migration following the fleets (who followed the herring). Fishermen who crewed the Sheringham great boats would have met the Scottish fishermen in East Coast ports regularly, so it is not surprising that ideas spread. That's not to say that Sheringham didn't have its own style. Most were columns of alternating motifs, usually two, sometimes three, around an inch or so wide A B A B A B A, or A B C B A B C B A. The best were close-fitting at a tension of 10 to 12 stitches per inch with a yoke starting half way up with three rigs (called rises in Sheringham). Working wear was courser but these were more often commercially produced, bought at the marine outfitters. The social cohesion in Sheringham may have been fostered by the Methodist chapel, Salvation Army and the lifeboats, of which they were very proud and turning out to meetings in a smart gansey must have been a spur to good knitting.

Being also a seaside resort there are many photographs of fishermen in their ganseys from which we can decipher the patterns long after the ganseys have disappeared: consumed by moth, worn by fishermen going to their graves or simply fallen into shreds after decades of wear. We own a particular debt to the pioneering portrait photographer Olive Edis who had a studio in the town in the early 20th century and who gave us many of the wonderful images below.

When there were a hundred crab boats on the beach many women must have been busy knitting for their loved ones. In the 20th century a few knitters were renouned and some knitted for fishermen outside their immediate families: Edie Middleton, Esther Nurse, Mrs Bishop, the West family are just some that have been recorded in print. There were doubtless many others but their names and their ganseys are lost to us now.


Click on a record number to see full record (use Back button to return to this page). Click on an image to see a large image in your default image viewer. Click on pattern thumbnail to download a pdf of the pattern (requires Acrobat Reader).

GP1 Mr. Cox's seed stitch gansey Sheringham
1924
Mr. Cox's seed stitch gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP2 Old Charlie Grice's honeycomb gansey Sheringham
1918
Old Charlie Grice's honeycomb gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP3 Mr Grice's meshes and ladders gansey Sheringham
1920 - 1929
11.5 spi
Mr Grice's meshes and ladders gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP7 Old Charlie Grice's hailstones and bars gansey Sheringham
1918
Old Charlie Grice's hailstones and bars gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP8 Latterday Cox's seeds and bars gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
Latterday Cox's seed panel gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP9 Abraham Cooper's bars and squares gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
Estimated tension 11.5 spi
Abraham Cooper's bars and squares gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP10 Bob Craske's plain seed stitch gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
Estimated tension 7.6 spi
Bob Craske's plain seed stitch gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP11 Squinter West's machine-knitted gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
Squinter West's machine-knitted gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

No chart
GP12 King Kong Grice's coil o'rope and garter rib gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
11 spi
King Kong Grice's coil o'rope and garter rib gansey
GP13 Chicken Grice's diagonal bars and double moss stitch gansey Sheringham
1922
9.5 spi
Chicken Grice's diagonal bars and seed stitch gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP14 Belsha Johnson's net mask gansey Sheringham
1914 (c)
Belsha Johnson's net mask gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP15 John Craske's plain seed stitch gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
John Craske's plain seed stitch gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP17 William Noel Barnwell's man's chequerboard and garter rib gansey Sheringham
1911
8.5 spi
William Noel Barnwell's man's chequerboard gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP18 Milker Little's netmask gansey Sheringham
1923
8.5 spi
Milker Little's netmask gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP19 Belsha Johnson's basket weave pattern Sheringham
early 20th century
Belsha Johnson's basket weave pattern
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP20 John Tar Bishop's herringbone gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
John Tar Bishop's herringbone gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP21 Robert Pegg's machine-knitted waves or marriage lines Sheringham
early 20th century
Robert Pegg's machine-knitted waves or marriage lines
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

No chart
GP24 Belsha Johnson's herringbone and hailstones gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
Belsha Johnson's herringbone and hailstones gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP26 Willie Long's herringone gansey Sheringham
1927
Willie Long's herringone gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP27 Buster Long's Betty Martin and crab pots gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
11 spi
Buster Long's ladders and meshes gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP29 Old Charlie Grice's plain gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
Old Charlie Grice's plain gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

No chart
GP34 Buck Craske's machine-knitted gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
Buck Craske's machine-knitted gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

No chart
GP35 "Toofie" Farrow's plain gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
Toofie Farrow's plain gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

No chart
GP36 Old Charlie Grice's hailstones and meshes gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
Old Charlie Grice's hailstones and meshes gansey
Norfolk Museums Service (Cromer Museum)

GP38 Robert Tar Bishop's diamonds and chevrons gansey Sheringham
1900 (about)
12 spi
Robert Tar Bishop's diamonds and chevrons gansey
GP39 Esther Nurse's open meshes and hoop nets pattern Sheringham
1950 (c)
12 spi
Esther Nurse's open meshes and hoop nets pattern
Sheringham Museum (M. Warren)

GP40 Obadiah Cooper's meshes and ladder stitch gansey Sheringham
1914-1924
9 spi
Obadiah Cooper, Coxswain J,C. Mardge, Sheringham Lifeboat 1914-1924
GP41 Jimmy Coalie Cooper's herringbone and moss stitch gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
Jimmy Coalie Cooper's herringbone and  moss stitch gansey
GP45 Henry Little's coil o' rope and diagonal bars gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
10 spi
Henry Little's coil o' rope and diagonal bars gansey
GP46 Henry Little's meshes and diagonal bars gansey Sheringham
early 20th century
Henry Little's meshes and diagonal bars gansey
GP47 Edie Middleton knitted for Strangers' Hall Sheringham
1956
12 spi
Edie Middleton's gansey knitted for Strangers' Hall
GP48 Jimmy Chibbles Bishop's herringbone gansey Sheringham
1930-1949
9.3 spi
Jimmy Chibbles Bishop's herringbone gansey
GP49 Jimmy Chibbles Bishop's small cables gansey Sheringham
1930-1949
10.3 spi
Jimmy Chibbles Bishop's small cables gansey
GP50 Jimmy Paris' lightning and hailstones gansey Sheringham
1912
11.5 spi
Jimmy Paris' lightning and hailstones gansey
GP51 Sparrow Hardingham's gansey Sheringham
1920-1930
9 spi
Sparrow Hardingham's gansey
Old photo of Sheringham fishermen wearing ganseys

Above is a superb studio photograph (CRRMU : CP1753) by Hellis and Sons, a firm of London photographers who had studios around the country. It shows twelve Sheringham fishermen round about 1900 apparently at the studios in the fishing port Great Grimsby in Lincolnshire. It seems to represent the crews of more than one of the 'great boats' from Sheringham who would go there 'in the season' to land their catch. Numbers mentioned below are from back row left to front row right. The machine made gansey #2 could have been purchased at the Cosalt depot in Beeston Road but the others are hand knitted. Are they all Sheringham-made ganseys or were some purchased from commercial knitters? For example GP58 and GP59 do not appear typical of Sheringham and even the netmasks GP57 and GP60 are generic.

GP52 Sheringham fisherman #1 Jack Martins' chevrons and meshes gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
10.5 spi
Jack Martins' net mask and herringbone gansey
GP53 Sheringham fisherman #2 George "Salter" Farrow's machine made gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
Potter Hardingham's machine made gansey No chart
GP54 Sheringham fisherman #3 Billy West's double meshes and hailstones gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
10.4 spi
Sheringham double meshes and hailstones gansey
GP55 Sheringham fisherman #4 William Bishop Little Sheringham bars and hailstones gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
10 spi
Sheringham bars and hailstones gansey
GP56 Sheringham fisherman #5 lightning and hailstones gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
9 spi
Sheringham lightning and hailstones gansey
GP57 Sheringham fisherman #6 "Alma" West's net mask gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
Alma West's net mask gansey
GP58 Sheringham fisherman #7 Potter Hardingham's chevron and Betty Martin panels gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
8.5 spi
Chevrons and Betty Martin gansey
GP59 Sheringham fisherman #8 Old Charlie Grice's big diamonds gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
8 spi
Chevrons and Betty Martin gansey
GP60 Sheringham fisherman #9 Rook Reynolds net mask gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
Rook Reynolds' net mask gansey
GP61 Sheringham fisherman #10 Jacob Martins' chevrons and mashes gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
10.5 spi
Jacob Martins' net mask and herringbone gansey
GP62 Sheringham fisherman #11 "Chicken" Grice's gansey Sheringham
1900 -1910(c)
8.5spi
Chicken Grice's meshes and ribs gansey
GP63 Sheringham fisherman #12 "King Kong" Grice's gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
8.5 spi
King Kong Grices' coil o'rope and hailstones gansey


GP65 Willie Long's diagonal bars and Betty Martin gansey Sheringham
1910 (c)
8 spi
Willie Long diagonal bars and Betty Martin gansey
GP66 Bob Fields' meshes and Betty Martin gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
10.75 spi
Sheringham meshes and Betty Martin gansey
GP67 Buster Long's chevrons and Betty Martin gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
12 spi
Sheringham chevrons and Betty Martin gansey
GP68 Robert "Dowsey" Little's gansey Sheringham
1900-1910 (c)
12 spi
Dowsey Little's coil o'rope and cross-bars gansey
GP73 Harry "Duncan" Cooper's gansey Sheringham
1940-1960 (c)
12 spi
Harry 'Duncan' Cooper's diamonds and moss stitch gansey
GP75 John Grimes' seeds and bars Sheringham gansey Sheringham
1858
John Grimes's Sheringham gansey pattern
GP76 Keff Sadler's flags and steps gansey Sheringham
1890s
9.3 spi
Keff Sadler's flags and steps gansey pattern
GP77 Sheringham double coil o'rope and hailstones gansey Sheringham
1890s
11 spi
Sheringham double cable gansey pattern
GP78 Henry Grice's hailstones and meshes gansey Sheringham
1905 (c)
8.75 spi
Henry Grice's hailstones and meshes gansey
GP83 John West's chevrons and meshes gansey Sheringham
1900 (pre)
11.5 spi
John West's meshes and herringbones gansey
GP85 Anonymous Sheringham moss stitch, meshes and cables gansey Sheringham
undated
11 spi
Anonymous Sheringham gansey
© Batsford/Dover
GP86 Sheringham meshes, arrows and chevrons gansey Sheringham
1960-1979
12 spi
Sheringham meshes, arrows and chevrons gansey
© Deb Gillanders
GP87 Sheringham small basketweave, zigzag and meshes gansey Sheringham
1960-1979
12 spi
Sheringham meshes, zig zag and chevrons gansey
© Deb Gillanders
GP90 Eliza West's meshes and double moss gansey #2 Sheringham
1930s
12 spi
Eliza West's meshes and double moss gansey #2
GP99 Tooshy Brown's gansey by Esther Nurse Sheringham
1920s or early 1930s
11 spi
Tooshy Brown's gansey by Esther Nurse
GP100 Eliza West's meshes and double moss gansey for Harry Billy Sheringham
1930s
11.5 spi
Eliza West's gansey for Harry Billy
GP103 Squinter West's bars and meshes gansey Sheringham
1906 (pre)
Squinter West's bars and meshes gansey
©Francis Frith
GP109 Dorothy Martins' lightning, moss and coil o' rope gansey Sheringham
1980
14 spi, 19 rpi
Dorothy Martins' gansey
©Sheringham Museum Trust (MRW)

References

  • Rita Taylor, Lesley Lougher, Jan Hillier and Lisa LIttle. Sheringham Ganseys. People, Places, Patterns : The Sheringham Museum Trust 2017 : 84 pp
  • Rita Taylor, Lesley Lougher, Jan Hillier , Ken Holloway and Martin Warren. Sheringham Ganseys. People, Places, Patterns (Second Edition) : The Sheringham Museum Trust 2019 : 84 pp