The Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust (SNHT) is delighted to have connected with the owner of a private museum on Change Island, Newfoundland, which has in its collection a pair of original swanskin mittens.
This rare artefact is a unique example of the material produced in Sturminster Newton for over two hundred years, during a period of mass migration from Dorset to Newfoundland. It is thought that the Swanskin material that these mittens have been made from was created locally, although investigations are ongoing as to whether the garments were sewn in Dorset too.
Peter Porter owns and operates the Olde Shoppe Museum on Change Islands, Newfoundland, which displays artefacts from the early 19th and 20th century illustrating out port community life on the east coast of Canada. Mr Porter was made aware of the connection between this artefact in his collection and the town of Sturminster Newton due to publicity in Twillingate, Newfoundland, surrounding the new Swanskin Seafarers of Sturminster research project. Mr Porter reached out a partner in Newfoundland to offer videos and photographs of this rare find in support of the project.
Swanskin was a course white cloth, favoured by those who worked in cold and wet environments for its warm and waterproof qualities. Records show that swanskin production was the main occupation of those who remained in Sturminster Newton during a period of mass migration to Newfoundland between the 17th-19th centuries. It is believed that there are no remaining swanskin garments from this period in Dorset, and the discovery of these mittens in Newfoundland is a very exciting addition to the Swanskin Seafarers of Sturminster project. While we do not yet know where this particular garment was assembled, this is nonetheless an exciting find in the early stages of this local research project.
The connections between Sturminster Newton and Newfoundland, Canada, are being investigated by the Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust, in a project funded by the Association of Independent Museums (AIM). Students from the local high school have been partnered with JC Oldes Collegiate in Twillingate, Canada as part of a knowledge-sharing exercise, exploring how people from Sturminster migrated to the fishing grounds of the North Atlantic in search of a better life. The project aims to produce a film with local artists and schoolchildren recording the stories they discover, as well as interpretation boards at the museum and mill. The Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust also seeks to work with migrant communities in the local area, recording oral histories that document the parallels between their journeys, and the stories of the Swanskin Seafarers of Sturminster.
Zilla Brown, Secretary of the Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust says:
“We are delighted that publicity from this project has led to the finding of the mittens. It was long thought that no Swanskin clothing has survived, so this is a very unexpected bonus and an exciting start to the shared project between the students of Sturminster Newton High School and JC Oldes Collegiate in Newfoundland. Alongside this wonderful discovery, many of the students in Newfoundland taking part in this project have realised other connections to Sturminster Newton, including that many of them have surnames of Dorset origin, including their Principal.”
The Sturminster Newton Heritage Trust will be advertising opportunities for the local community to see the results of this research project in the Summer, including a showing of the film produced by students at Sturminster Newton Mill.
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