Wilf Laidler

Wilf Laidler is a retired Police Officer but spent his early working life as a shepherd where he used a Shepherd’s Crook as an everyday tool. Over twenty years ago he was shown how to make the fancy crooks by Norman Tulip, an acknowledged master of the craft who had raised it to an art form. Wilf was encouraged to join the Border Sick Dressers Association, an organisation founded in 1951 in the English/Scottish Border region when it became apparent that the craft was dying out. He is now Secretary/Treasurer of the Association which has 360 members, scattered throughout the world, but still mainly in the North of England or Southern Scotland.

The crooks are traditionally made from Rams Horn for the head and locally grown wood such as, Hazel, Holly, Birch, Blackthorn as well as other woods that can provide a relatively straight stick that will form the shank. Sheep’s horn is a natural plastic, being basically Keratin, that can be squeezed and manipulated when heated, unfortunately it is now in short supply so other materials such as Water Buffalo horn and exotic woods are used.

With the exception of the eyes in animals, birds or fish nothing has to be stuck onto the head so whatever is carved has to come from a single horn and this is part of the attraction of the hobby, working out what one can get out of the available horn. It can take up to 250 hours to make a single stick so whilst they can be purchased they are not cheap.

Further examples of dressed sticks can be found on the website of the Border Stick Dressers Association.

Wilf does not have any sticks for sale but he does sometimes accept special commissions.