Charlotte Elizabeth Treadwin - Lace maker, designer and entrepreneur.
Late in 2008, Langmead Memorials received a commission to create a replacement headstone for the famous lace maker and entrepreneur Charlotte Treadwin. Charlotte died in 1890 and her monolith ( see FAQs ) headstone was placed in Exeter’s Higher Cemetery.
The headstone was made from English stone but with the passage of time it had started to delaminate with the danger of the original inscription being lost. However, The Guild of Devon Lace Teachers raised the necessary funding and Langmead were awarded the commission for the new stone. It was important that the new stone was, as near as possible, an exact copy of the original one and that the work on the carving and the inscription should be carried out by hand as it would have been in 1890
Langmead’s hand letter cutter and carver, Andy Brooker, undertook the work and the stone was erected in place of the original prior to it being unveiled by The Lord Mayor of Exeter, Councillor Paul Smith on Wednesday 18th March 2009.
Before renovation
After renovation
At the same time that Andy was recreating Charlotte’s stone, the stone to commemorate her sister, Emily Dobbs (also famous in lace circles) and also in Higher Cemetery had been neglected for many years and was lying flat on the ground.
Instructed by The Devon Lace Teachers, Langmead craftsmen re-erected and cleaned Emily’s stone which was also visited by The Lord Mayor.