2157 – Corn dolly / Kern baby
- Physical description:
- Corn dolly dressed in a caramel-coloured dress and a white apron edged with lace.
- Museum classification:
- Modern Witchcraft
- Size:
- 480 x 120 x 50
- Information:
Part of a collection of magical objects that belonged to Iain Steele. This type of corn dolly is known as a Kern Babby (see 'The Origins of Popular Superstitions and Customs' by T. Sharper Knowlson (1910) and 'A Golden Dolly' by M. Lambeth (1969)). These magical figures were made around harvest time. Sometimes they would be carried in procession or sat at the head of the table to represent the spirit of the harvest. Often they would then be sat on the last pew in the local church (sometimes with an apple in the pocket). At the end of a year they would be burnt and their ashes scattered over the fields to insure a good new harvest.
- Resource:
- Object
- Materials:
- Corn (wheat straw), fabric
Part of a collection of magical objects that belonged to Iain Steele. This type of corn dolly is known as a Kern Babby (see 'The Origins of Popular Superstitions and Customs' by T. Sharper Knowlson (1910) and 'A Golden Dolly' by M. Lambeth (1969)). These magical figures were made around harvest time. Sometimes they would be carried in procession or sat at the head of the table to represent the spirit of the harvest. Often they would then be sat on the last pew in the local church (sometimes with an apple in the pocket). At the end of a year they would be burnt and their ashes scattered over the fields to insure a good new harvest.