Thomas Hoodlass "Stealing a bottle of straw" in 1878

[hanes teulu]

http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/sayings.htm

search main index for "needle in a haystack"

If you search on line newspapers for "bottle of straw" it returns a large no. of hits, many of them involving theft.   

[RobinRedBreast]

http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/sayings.htm

see "needle in a haystack"

If you search on line newspapers for "bottle of straw" it returns a large no. of hits, many of them involving theft.   

Thanks again.

[Guy Etchells]

I would suggest you are overthinking the phrase.
It simply means a bundle or sheaf of straw (animal bedding).

Cheers
Guy

[RobinRedBreast]

He was most probably, one of my 3x great grandmothers brothers.

I've found out that he wasn't now, by the way: He was just a distant Cousin.