Welcome to the East Anglia Gansey Group
About Us
Formally established in November 2021, the East Anglia Gansey Group evolved from the Sheringham Museum Textile Team, created in 2014 to support the exhibition A Shoal of Ganseys.
We aim to discover, research and record the traditional ganseys worn by East Anglian fishermen and the skilled women who knitted them. Sheringham knitters were renowned throughout the 20th century for their exceptionally fine work, and Sheringham Museum preserves superb examples spanning from 1900 to the 1980s.
Maritime heritage
Sheringham fishermen worked from major ports like Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, and Grimsby, traveling as far as the Shetlands with herring fleets. Local knitters also drew inspiration from the ganseys of the Scottish Herring Lasses, who finished their season in Great Yarmouth. But, Ganseys have a global reach – their heritage sparks worldwide interest.
We collaborate with enthusiasts across the world, connecting with researchers at The Net Loft in Cordova, Alaska and The Netherlands with researcher Stella Ruhe who has documented patterns across 30+ fishing villages. You can watch her 39-minute feature on children’s ganseys on Sheringham Museum’s YouTube channel.
Research tools & resources
Funded by The Arts Council, Sheringham Museum Curator Lisa Little, volunteers and members of the East Anglian Gansey Group are creating practical resources for researchers and partner museums, including the Gansey Identification Flow Chart and Gansey Glossary which can be viewed or downloaded here.
Below you will also find links to our growing collection of online resources, with stories and photographs of some of the men who wore them and patterns for making ganseys.
Fishermen with lobster pots, Sheringham, Norfolk, circa 1903, (National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London/Wikimedia Commons CC3).
People & Patterns
Our online database of gansey patterns and the people who wore them.
Get involved
Knitting
Our group are always busy knitting children’s ganseys. If you would be interested in joining us; we provide a pattern and yarn, please contact Sheringham Museum.
Charting
We also chart and knit gansey stitch patterns from photographs of fishermen. If you’d like to join us please get in touch. If you are interested and woudl like to find out more you can look at our profiles page which contains stitch patterns. Please also take a look at Martin Warren’s website at www.northfolk.org.
Research
We have a good picture of ganseys in Norfolk but our research continues. However, little is known about the ganseys of Suffolk and Essex and we are looking to extend our research beyond Norfolk. If you would like to assist or have any information, please contact Jan Whitehead by email or by joining the EAGG Facebook page.
Exhibitions
Sheringham Museum has now held several notable gansey exhibitions:
A Shoal of Ganseys (2014), featuring the Moray Forth Collection
Dutch Ganseys (2017) organised in conjunction with Stella Ruhe.
Children’s Dutch Ganseys and symposium (2022), also with Stella Ruhe.
Sheringham Museum also runs International Gansey Day in the autumn of each year.
Publications
Sheringham Ganseys – People, Places, Patterns published by Sheringham Museum is available on the museum website here.
Collections
In 2019 a bequest to Sheringham museum of significant artefacts from the collection of the late Michael Harvey, who was very well known for his research and documentation of craft textile work, has established the museum’s collection.
Sheringham Museum now has more than forty historic ganseys, related objects, accessories, books and other research material as part of the collection within the museum, making it one of national significance.