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CORN DOLLIES

“’Tis but a thing of straw” they say
Yet even straw can sturdy be
Plaited into a doll like me.
And in the days of long ago
To help the seeds once more to grow
I was an offering to the Gods.
A very simple way indeed
Of asking them to intercede
That barn and granary o’erflow
At harvest time with fruit and corn
To fill again Amalthea’s horn.
Anon.

Doll or image. An image is an idol and so to dol, doll, dolly and Corn Dolly. Other names are Kern Dolly, Kern Baby, Corn Maiden, Ivy Girl, Corn Goddess. Many parts of the country have their own particular design and, of course, name.

Traditionally the doll was made from the last few pieces of corn which were left in the last field of harvest. This tiny patch of ground was known as the neck, nack or mare and when the harvesters plucked the last pieces of straw the shout went up, “We have the neck!” The spirit of the Corn Goddess was then thought to live in the fields.

Spring ploughing, the start of cultivations for the harvest, started on Plough Monday, the first Monday after twelfth night and the Corn Goddess was ploughed under the first furrow, thus returning fertility to the soil. In the Highlands of Scotland it was given to the horses to eat. There, if the harvest was good the doll was dressed up as a young woman, but if it was poor the doll was dressed as an old hag. In other areas the doll, after lying in the farmhouse for a year would be burnt, the spirit then entering the new doll made at the latest harvest.

The making of corn dollies is not confined to this country and examples can be found from as far apart as Mexico and Greece. Most dollies are made by plaiting or braiding the straw. Plaited ‘Favours’ were also made in the same manner as wooden spoons to be used as love tokens. Straw marquetry is also carried out, a straw splitter being used for the purpose. A splint mill is used when required for pressing the braids and box irons were used for shaping flats when hat making.

The names given to the dollies have a fascination of their own. The Essex Bar Terret, Barton Turf Dolly, The Harvest Ring, The Teardrop, Double Spiral Neck and many others. The list is endless.

The Women’s Institute publish a booklet on making dollies and the following books are worthwhile:-
The Golden Dolly, M. Lambeth, published by John Baker.
Folklore Customs of Rural England, Margaret Baker, David and Charles.
Calendar of Country Customs, Ralph Whitlock, Batsford Press.
The Art of Making Corn Dollies, S. J. Reid, The Lutterworth Press.