Spindle Whorl, from Sanday, Orkney

3D Model

Spindle whorl, Tresness, Sanday, OM.2018.55.1

From the collections at The Orkney Museum, this spindle whorl was recycled out of a ceramic tile of the type made in the Dutch city of Delft in the 1600s. Its diameter is 36mm and, now water-worn, it feels very lightweight. It has various biographies, recalling the continuing importance of hand spinning into modern times; Britain’s involvement in conflicts in the 17th century, causing merchants and mariners to prefer shipping around the North of Scotland over English Channel routes; and local connections with the Dutch East India Trade. For more on spindle whorls, see http://bit.ly/2UGpTWE Find out about The Orkney Museum at http://bit.ly/2HrKfjp This is part of the “New Connections” Virtual Museum, funded by Museums Galleries Scotland and the Hugh Fraser Foundation, see irc.hw.ac.uk/new-connections.html