Village Squire, 1978-12, Page 5The readers write
DEAR MR. ROULSTON:
1 read and enjoyed 'Old Crafts Get New
Life' in your November magazine,
particularly as I facetiously call myself the
great-granddaughter of the loom.
Most of your information about Samuel
Pentland and his loom are correct. True.
The Huron Tract was being opened by the
Canada Company in 1845, but the land on
the north side of the boundary was not
Canada Company Land. One historian
called them forgotten townships and when
it came on the market. it was Crown Land
and people who bought farms there were
given Crown Deeds. There are a few
families in Ashfield and Wawanosh who
still have the deeds given to their
ancestors -ours among them. It is believed
that Wawanosh was the name of an Indian
Chief whose followers lived beside a creek
in Dungannon. Dungannon is named for
Dungannon in Northern Ireland because
the first settlers, the Davidsons and
Malloughs came from Dungannon.
But to return to Samuel Pentland. He
had probably been a cottage weaver in
Ireland and became unemployed with the
rise of the factory system. He suffered that
again with the opening of the Benmiller
woollen mill some years later. That was
when he began weaving rag carpets. His
work was carried on by his son• Samuel.
and his daughter Elizabeth (Eliza) who,
n>at•ried George Shepperd. They lived on
the farm south of Nile. now owned by Doug
(or is it Cliff?) McNeil. Aunt Eliza became
an expert weaver and when her family
reached marriageable age. she wove a
coverlet for each. The onp she wove for her
oldest son. John. is now in the Museum. It
is blue and white as all for the boys were.
The girls were given red and white. Much
of this information I got from John's
daughter Mary. She and her sister. Edith.
donated their coverlet to the Museum.
Another interesting craft in which Mrs.
Shepperd engaged. was weaving straw
hats. Mary remembers seeing her at this
work. You mentioned the Shepperd
(spelled 'erd' not 'ard') sisters living on the
next farm to the Pentlands. The only
Shepperd sisters Mary knew of were her
aunts. Mary Jane and Catherine, the
daughters of Eliza.
You said that the loom had been donated
to the Museum by the late Harvey
Pentland. That is incorrect. 1 remember
v.fien the Museum was preparing their
exhibition of pioneer texttiles. I think they
advertised in local papers around Ontario
for information and tools. Next thing 1
remember was a notice in the Goderich
Star asking for information about Samuel
Pentland and his loom. Apparently. the
late Gavin Green of Goderich had
answered their first ad telling them of the
loom in his possession. When they saw it.
you would have thought they had found a
gold mine.
Everything that Samuel had used in his
work was there, intact, from the shears
used to shear the sheep to the loom itself
with a small piece of rag carpet on the seat.
The Pentlands and Shepperds were what I
call squirrels and- never threw anything
away and that is why the exhibition in the
Museum is so complete. Harvey Pentland
got into the story in this way. I suppose he
bought the small spinning wheel at the sale
of the Shepperd's belongings when Gav
Green bought the loom etc. In some way. it
was found that Harvey had the spinning
wheel and he loaned it for the opening of
the exhibition. It remained there until a
few years ago when his wife, Blanche. gave
it permanently to the Museum. The photo I
am enclosing shows the loom in the
Museum and Elizabeth Shepperd spinning
on the veranda of her home. You can see
that small picture on a stand beside the
loom. The coverlet on the wall behind the
loom is the type that used to be spun on the
loom and may be the pattern done by Mrs.
Shepperd nearly a century ago.
YOURS SINCERELY,
Margaret Pritchard
89 Haddington,
Toronto
DEAR MR. ROULSTON:
, Many thanks for your letter reminding
me that my subscription to the Village
Squire has expired. We would have been
very disappointed to find that we did not
receive the next issue. It has so many items
in it that my husband and I look forward to
reading. Sometimes your opinion of home
eating place we have been or think of going
helps.
Enclosed please find my cheque for the
new subscription.
You may be interested in knowing I am
now sending the issue to Westminister
Hospital when we are through with them.
SINCERELY,
Hilda M. Amsbary,
Stratford.
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December 1978, Village Squire 3