The Strawplaiters of Orkney

<p>In the first half of the 19th century thousands of women and girls were employed throughout Orkney plaiting straw. Orkney had everything that was needed for the success of this industry.: the raw materials a skilled cheap workforce and the shipping merchants who would transport the finished product to markets in the south.</p><p><br></p><p>What was the straw plait industry?</p><p><br></p><p>Using original research covering every parish in Orkney 'The Strawplaiters of Orkney' by Fiona Grahame reveals the forgotten history of the working lives of women and girls in the islands.</p>