Tuesday 19 January 2016

Bonny wee brooch

I very rarely notice jewellery when I'm charity shopping, but I just had to buy this lovely little vintage Scottish luckenbooth brooch.


Very popular in 17th and 18th century Scotland, luckenbooth brooches are usually made in silver in variations of hearts and crowns.  


They were often given as love tokens and worn by brides on their wedding day to bring good luck and protect against the evil eye.  Sometimes known as witch-brooches, they were also worn on babies shawls to ward off evil spirits and ensure the mother’s milk supply.


They are sometimes associated with Mary Queen of Scots and William Shakespeare reputedly owned one.


The luckenbooths, dating from the reign of James III, were a huddle of buildings running parallel to St Giles Church (now Cathedral) on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.  Luckenbooth meant “lockable booth” and they were stalls which sold all sorts of trinkets and toys and jewellery.   

There was only a narrow footpath between them and the kirk.  They were pulled down in 1817 when the Royal Mile was widened.
Luckenbooth brooches were also exported as trade items and the Iroquois people in North America were also known to own some and make their own version.  


Hope you enjoyed this wee look at a bit of Scottish history and folklore.
Joining with Let's Talk Vintage.

Love, Liz

17 comments:

Jo said...

It's a lovely brooch and thank you for the history lesson, very interesting. I think brooches look so pretty when worn yet it's something I rarely wear myself, I really must rectify that.

Lynne said...

I would say that was a very lovely "find!"

Vintage Jane said...

What a pretty little brooch ... I have learnt something today, thank you!

Jo@awholeplotoflove said...

What a lovely find - my china brooch collection was started off my a charity shop find x

Fiona said...

What a fab find and thanks so much for the interesting background.

Patricia (La Chatte Gitane) said...

Lovely brooch ! And I really liked the history behind the Luckenbooth brooch. xxx...x

Terra said...

Your version of this brooch is my favorite, and I like the history behind it.

Frances said...

It's very interesting to learn about the history of the luckenbooth brooch designs. I think that you will be treasuring your own recent silver brooch find. It's a gem!

Cheers!

Unknown said...

Well done on your find, a very pretty brooch. Enjoyed your Scottish history lesson, it is great what you can find out by blog reading. xx

mamasmercantile said...

A great find, so pretty I can see why you would buy it. I too enjoyed the history behind it. They say you learn something new every day, amazing what you learn reading a blog. Take care.

Julie said...

A very enjoyable read, and such a treasure you rescued and brought home to give some love to.

Aida said...

Hi Liz, apologies for the late reply. I haven't checked my blog for a while . Than, you for your best wishes and am hoping that you will happy year too.

Thank you for sharing this piece of Scotland's history, I am hoping to see more of your country's stunning landscapes in few months time.

Wishing you a wonderful week

Unknown said...

Obviously I love brooches, and this one is darling! And, I really love the history lesson. I'd never heard of these before. :)

Curtains in My Tree said...

OH MY GOSH Now I have something else to look for when out treasure hunting LOL
They are very interesting, I don't think I have ever seen a Luckenbooth brooch

Curtise said...

Now I've learned something here - I have seen pieces like these but had no idea they are called luckenbooth brooches. So thanks for that! xxx

Kezzie said...

You must have posted this just after I published my brooch post! I love it, what a gorgeous find- not surprised you are so pleased and SO nice to know about its history!x

Vesna Armstrong said...

That is a lovely brooch and a delightful find, Liz! And a very interesting post!