Gallery 2 · The Working Harbour
Fishwife's Creel
Made in the harbour village, c. 1920
Woven willow, leather strap
Fish did not sell itself. Women from the harbour village carried catches like this through the streets in willow creels, walking up to twenty miles a day with the basket resting on their backs and the strap across their foreheads.
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A full creel could weigh more than forty kilos. The strap spread the weight across the head and shoulders, leaving the hands free to count out fish and money.
The fishwives were known for their striped skirts, their loud street cries and their skill at bargaining. Many of them also mended nets, gutted the catch and kept the family's accounts.
This creel belonged to Margaret Lowrie, who sold fish in the town until 1952. Her granddaughter gave it to the museum along with a photograph of her carrying it.