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Grace Crowfoot

Born in Lincolnshire, England in 1877 Grace Mary Hood known as 'Molly' was the oldest of 6 children. Her grandfather collected Egyptian antiquities and this put her in contact with many archaeologists such as William Flinders Petrie. Molly became lifelong friends with Petrie's wife Hilda.

She excavated the cave at Tana Bertrand in 1908- 1909 where she found 300 beads which she published.

In 1908 she became a professional midwife. This experience proved invaluable when she was able to send for two of her friends who had trained with her 'Bee' and 'Gee' Wollf when she was settled in Khartoum. They set up the first school of midwifery in the Sudan.

In 1909 she married John Winter Crowfoot who was the Assistant Director of Education in Sudan and they lived in Cairo where had three daughters. She became a professional midwife, learnt photography and published a work on desert flowers.

After the First World War, Molly and John moved to the Sudan where John became Director of the Gordon College in Khartoum. As she immersed herself in the life of local women Molly became a proficient weaver, learning to weave cotton on primitive looms. She published two papers on this topic. She studied the paintings of spinning and weaving on Pharonic tombs.

Following the birth of their fourth daughter and the end of the war the Crowfoot family returned to England. Grace Crowfoot published several books on looms, textiles and tablet weaving. She also continued to publish botanical works.

Books by Grace Crowfoot
Hand woolcombing