Lehlako/Crest (Victoria England)

Any blanket with the label name Victoria England is “traditional” because of the obvious association with Queen Victoria of England who ‘spread her blanket’ of protection over the Basotho during a time of turbulence and danger between the Basotho and Free State. 

The Basotho refer to this blanket as lesiba meaning ‘feathers’, when buying it. 

The first Victoria blanket was manufactured in England. After 1920 it was manufactured in South Africa and the small writing ‘made in England’ on the label posed a problem. To exclude it would mean to remove half of the tradition form the blanket label. 

The words ‘made in’ were taken out and the word ‘England’ left. It became the Victoria England. Although it was manufactured in South Africa most people still believed that it was manufactured in England.