Community workshops help keep village craft alive

A craft dating back hundreds of years is being preserved in the community of Newborough where it was once a thriving cottage industry.

Marram grass, traditionally used for mat and rope making, has been collected from Anglesey’s Newborough National Nature Reserve, managed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), and donated to Llyn Parc Mawr community group.

The group is working with Ynys Mon Outdoor Learning Wales to host public workshops to teach and preserve weaving techniques creating mats, bowls, containers, brushes and baskets.

It is unknown when the use of marram grass first started, having been used as a natural material for roofing and animal bedding, but the practice of crafting items was in place in at least the 1600s when some restrictions on its collection were imposed by Queen Elizabeth I to prevent manorial lands being consumed by sands.

However, the cottage industry remained a major part of village life, with the weavers producing haystack covers, mats, ropes, nets, brooms and baskets for both domestic uses and in the farming, fishing and mining industries.

This carried on until the early 20th century when industrialisation and factory-made goods became more popular.

The grass was traditionally collected using a small-handled sickle with two-year old grass considered the most suitable to use for manufacturing.

It grows on mobile sand in dense and spiky tufts and its roots help trap sand and build the dunes at Newborough, allowing them to develop and become home to other species such as sand lizard and a range of specialist insects.

The grass used in the workshops was collected under license from NRW with all conservation measures being followed.

Graham Williams, a member of NRW’s Land Management Team in North West Wales, said: “The collecting of marram for this project continues the long tradition of utilising the grass for commercial mat and rope making, something that was an integral part of the fabric of the community.

“We are delighted to have been able to work with these two groups on this project to help preserve this traditional skill which is such an important part of the village’s history.”

Dee Walker, from Ynys Mon Outdoor Learning Wales, said: “Holding workshops and spreading this knowledge is a way to understand and take part in this craft while connecting with and appreciating the local history of Newborough.

“I think it is important to celebrate this history and keep the traditions alive and I am glad we have been able to work with NRW on this.”

The EU-funded Sands of LIFE project, managed by NRW, has also supported the reprint of a bilingual booklet, The Marram Weavers of Newborough by author Robert Williams, which provides details and historic photos of the weavers and their products.

Copies of the booklet are available to loan at libraries across Anglesey and you can pick up your own copy from NRW’s Maes y Ffynnon office in Bangor.

Ynys Mon Outdoor Learning Wales participants will be exhibiting a number of items crafted from marram grass as part of the Basketry: Rescuing, Reviving and Retaining exhibition at Ruthin Craft Centre between 28 September 2024 and 12 January 2025.