About the Society
A society for an overlooked little tool
We exist to study, record and celebrate the buttonhook — and to put fellow enthusiasts in touch with one another the world over.
The Buttonhook Society was founded in 1979 by Paul Moorehead, supported by Sally Moorehead, who recognised that the buttonhook — once in every household — was slipping out of living memory. From those beginnings it has grown into a friendly worldwide membership devoted to recording and enjoying these small instruments of a well-dressed age.
This website is maintained by Simon Moorehead, son of the founder, Paul Moorehead, who continues to look after the Society’s online presence and welcomes enquiries from collectors and friends old and new.
Although the Society itself is presently dormant, its spirit carries on. Paul Bigsby continues to give talks on buttonhooks — the next is in November 2026 at St Neots, Cambridgeshire — and Penny Savill still exhibits occasionally. Simon is meanwhile seeking a permanent home in which to display the collection, and is digitising the back issues of the Boutonneur so that this body of research is preserved and made accessible.
Among those who have shaped the Society are John & Sue Brandon and Penny & Harry Savill, whose collections and scholarship have done much to advance the study of buttonhooks, while the Society’s archive has long been in the care of our archivist, Margaret Jackson-Feilden.
The Society has always been an international one. Among its former American officers was Priscilla Stoffell, whose daughter, Judie Grauer, keeps the Society present online today.
What we do
We bring together collectors, dealers, social historians and the simply curious. Members share research and discoveries through our journal, Boutonneur, and meet in person at our Annual General Meeting and occasional exhibitions.
- A regular illustrated journal sent to all members
- An annual gathering with displays, talks and friendly company
- A growing archive of makers, marks and reference material
- Advice and identification for new and seasoned collectors alike
The journal
Boutonneur is published six times a year and carries members’ articles, identification queries, event reports and notable finds. Back issues form a valuable reference for the field.