In October 2020, as part of the Egham Visions project, our Artist in Residence Estella Castle created Egham Harvest Token Kits. 130 kits were distributed to the community, from those self-isolating, the Scouts, WI, through to families or local house-bound individuals.
The kit included enough straw to make 2 Egham Harvest Tokens and we asked participants to return one to the Museum to include in the Visions exhibition in Spring 2021 (more details coming soon).
Here is Fay who was one of our kit participants making her token at home:
Learn to make an Egham Harvest Token corn dolly, guided by straw-craft maker Elaine Lindsay
Heritage of Corn Dolly Making in the U.K
Corn dollies come in a variety of designs made from plaited straw, sometimes decorated with a ribbon. Due to the nature of the craft, examples of corn dollies dating from before the nineteenth century are rare. We know that they were made by farm labourers but the meaning and stories behind the different shapes has been lost.
‘Made at harvest time then kept until Christmas or until the first months of the new year, the token was returned to the land through burning, or feeding to the animals or by ploughing back into the field. The idea was to return fertility to the land, an ethos deeply embedded in rural folklore.’
Heritage Crafts Association
Today the craft is being continued by a small but varied range of people, from traditional master straw-crafters to artists, hobbyists to filmmakers, and even high end fashion designers like Alexander McQueen.
Make a Corn Dolly known as a Harvest Token
You can purchase straw from Simply Straw, kits and books from Something Corny.
The Harvest Token gets its name from the time of year it was given as a token of love to a sweetheart. Once given, it became a symbol of the budding romance. If the recipient wore the token to church, the giver would know their affection was returned. If the relationship blossomed, the token would be displayed at the wedding and in the marital home.
Inspired by this tradition, we are asking you to dedicate your Harvest Token to a special someone in your life. It could be your spouse, your children, a friend or someone else.
Download the instructions here and watch the full instructional video from Something Corny below: