Herald    Friday, May 13, 1988

Straw plaiters head for village

Pirton grew into a substantial Saxon village and continued to prosper for several reasons. It was convenient for the Icknield Way – the M1 of its day and a main route to London.   There was plenty of water available with springs and wells along with varied types of land.

Many of the families in the village have been there for centuries – Arnold is the oldest local name and still exists in Pirton today. Villagers worked as bakers, shoemakers, hurdle makers, thatchers, blacksmiths, wheelwrights and straw plaiters to make their living.  Nowadays they are more likely to be commuters.

Bakers    In 1850 there were six bakers to serve 1,016 villagers.

Shoemaker earned a good living.  The last and most famous cobbler was William Thrussell, nicknamed Willy Olly.

Hurdle makers made sure sheep and cattle were kept in the right field – very important to farmers whose livelihood depended on their animals.

Thatchers and blacksmiths held respected positions in the community.

The other main occupation was straw plaiting for the Luton hat trade.  The village sign on the green shows a pair of hands plaiting straw.   Children were sent to plaiting schools as soon as they could talk.  They worked from early in the morning until 9pm.