A to Z Anthology

As the Society no longer produces newsletters, we will post occasional items of interest here.
Topics will be chosen at random.
Your contributions are welcome.

F is for Fags^* and Flies

The post-Edwardian generation remembered their late King for two things - smoking heavily, and frequently opening up his flies. (20 cigarettes a day, plus cigars and an estimated 9 mistresses.) Many gentlemen continued to associate the two activities, but in a more acceptable way - fly fishing, accompanied by a few choice fags.

Back in 1927, William Rochester Pape, a Newcastle gun maker and fishing tackle merchant sent a box of salmon flies to Maling pottery to be copied onto ware. The task of turning the salmon flies into a workable design was the sole responsibility of Theo Maling and she chose the "Durham Ranger" fly,designed by William Henderson in the 1840s, to decorate ashtrays. (See below left). This was one of the earliest known patterns by Miss Theo to go into production and can be found with added borders, and usually the back stamp for W.R. Pape Fishing Tackle as well as the Maling mark.

Interestingly, the "Durham Ranger" fly (see below right) is believed to be the original from which Theo created her design and is still retained within the Maling family along with this example of the ashtray. Because we would like to get you hooked on Maling, you can catch much more about Theo in newsletters 28 and 30.

^*For our American cousins, "fag" is a British slang term for a cigarette
...not what you might have thought.

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