The Gunnister Purse

 

Replicas of the 1600s "Gunnister Purse" found in Scotland
knit by Laurel Wilkinson 2022

In 1951 in Gunnister, Shetland, Scotland a bog body was found dating from the 1600s.  The remarkable thing about this discovery was the clothing found on the body, including many examples of knitted items including a purse, stockings, gloves, two caps and several knitted patches on his woolen clothing.  Knitters around the world and historians have been examining the stitching and patterns to reproduce some of the items.

The purse and other items have decorative stitches now known as “Fair Isle” patterns.  This type of knitting is well known in Scotland and Scandinavian countries, and the discovery of the body proves that this type of knitting dates from at least the 1600s.  The original objects found in the bog are on display at the National Museum of Scotland, and replicas can now be found around the world.  Re-enactors of the 17^th century enjoy making “Gunnister Purses” for their costumes.

Knit purse from Beth Veazie Lambright
worn at the Pilgrims Progress 2021

I first learned about the knit pouches while I was participating in the Pilgrims Progress march during the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Board of Assistants meeting in Plymouth, Massachusetts last September.  Beth Veazie Lambright from the Oregon society sat next to me during the meetings, and she was wearing a similar knitted purse tied to her waist during the Pilgrims Progress.  I Googled the story of the Gunnister purse that same night.  My husband was particularly interested since neither of our Pilgrim outfits have pockets, and we had no place to store keys, phones, ID cards, etc.

A participant at the 2021 Pilgrims Progress
wearing a knitted pouch similar to the Gunnister purse

It is amazing that fragile knitted objects and garments survived being buried in a Scottish bog, and even more amazing that these little pieces of clothing have captured the imaginations of historians and re-enactors.  During the Mayflower 400^th anniversary commemoration, many people became interested in recreating authentic costumes instead of “cartoon Pilgrim” outfits of black and white decorated with buckles (which are not historically accurate at all).  These little Gunnister purses are not only practical (a place to carry a phone and an inhaler), but also completely authentic to the time period!

Not only were the Gunnister man’s artifacts from the correct time period for Pilgrim re-enactors, but there is much evidence to suggest that he might have been from Holland.  The coins in his purse were from Holland and Sweden (although the knitting suggests Scotland).  His cap was a Dutch style. Some other objects (a quill and ink horn) were also Dutch.  The Pilgrims lived for one generation in Leiden, Holland, and picked up lots of clothing and lifestyle customs from their Dutch neighbors.

I told my sister about the Gunnister purse, thinking that perhaps I could learn how to knit one as a beginner project.  My sister is an avid knitter, and she surprised Vincent and I with these purses for Christmas.  The patterns for Gunnister purses (as well as the cap, gloves, and stockings) are available online, see my links below. Do you think my little pocket will last another 400 years?

For the truly curious:

Gunnister Man Wikipedia article:    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnister_Man 

A photo of the actual Gunnister purse with bands of Fair Isle knitting from the National Museums of Scotland:  https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/collection-search-results/purse/19665  

Free patterns for a Gunnister Purse Replica from Ravelry:   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gunnister-purse-replica  and this one from Plimoth Patuxet Museum:  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gunnister-purse 

A nice blog post describing all the Gunnister Man’s clothing, especially the knitted pieces:  http://costumehistorian.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-gunnister-man-project.html

Would you like to buy a book with 12 patterns for 17^th century knitted garb, including the Gunnister purse, the Gunnister Cap, and some Gunnister gloves?  This book was published in 2010 from the Plimoth Platuxet Knitter’s Club:  https://www.plimoth.com/products/copy-of-knitted-garb-inspired-by-originals-designs-for-plimoth-plantation-and-beyond 

You can Google “Gunnister Man” or “Gunnister Purse” for many more websites with information on these interesting artifacts from the 1600s.

Also - In the British National Archives there are lists of gifts given to Queen Elizabeth 1561 – 1562, including 28 different knitted purses filled with coins: http://www.larsdatter.com/gifts/1561-2.htm   None of these purses survive, but the archives describe the purses including the colors and materials (mostly silk threads).  This blog post shows photos of someone recreating these purses, which are close to the 1620 time frame of the Mayflower Pilgrims: https://shannon.paradise.gen.nz/Knitting  but probably much more opulent than what they would have been carrying daily.

Photo credit to Beth Veazie Lambright of the Oregon Mayflower Society for the photo of the yellow knit purse above. 

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To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Gunnister Purse”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 1, 2022 ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-gunnister-purse.html: accessed [access date]).