It’s another ‘under the floorboards’ item today, once again found at renovation work at 21 Church Street. There’s no doubt as to what this is. It is a thimble.

Thimble found at 21 Church Street, Market Lavington
Clearly it is a little battered and misshapen but there is no doubt as to its purpose. This was worn on a finger and used to push a needle through fabric when sewing.
It has no maker’s mark – in fact nothing really to help date it at all.
What is not clear in the photos above is that this thimble is the tiniest little one you ever saw. Here it is perched on our curator’s little finger.

This thimble is tiny
This thimble has an opening diameter of just about a centimetre. It is less than 2 centimetres tall.
Clearly it was intended for use by a child, and in the sexist days of the past, that means a girl. We think it would have been really quite a young girl.
Do we have a thimble expert who could tell us any more?