310 Textiles and Textile Materials Trades 



of the eighteenth century he was a typical wholesaler.^ As such he 

 had connections (a) with the clothiers or the factors, (b) with the 

 merchant importers and exporters, (c) with the provincial whole- 

 salers, and (d) with the retailers of London and other towns and cities. 

 This tradesman bought his cloth from the clothier directly,- or from 

 the factors of Blackwell Hall, or from the makers or factors at the 

 Leeds or other markets.^ Such cloth was dressed and dyed, or white; 

 in the latter case he had them dressed and dyed in the City. The 

 merchant disposed of his imported cloth to the draper, and bought a 

 large part of his cargoes from him for exportation. Outside of the 

 sales to the merchant, the draper sold in gross (a) to the retailers in 

 London, including the tailors, mercers, and petty shopkeepers; (b) 

 to the retailers likewise in the environs of London ; (c) to the country- 

 drapers or wholesalers, living in the larger towns, who acted as sub- 

 distributors to the country retailers;^ and lastly (d) to travelling 

 merchants and petty chapmen. Both the imported and the domestic 

 cloths were in this way forwarded to e\-en the most remote parts of 

 the Isle. 



There early arose, as above noted, a controversy between the country 

 draper and the London draper resulting in the compromise of Blackwell 

 Hall ; but in addition to that, restrictions were laid whereby the London 

 merchant was advantaged; for example, by a statute in 1523 it was en- 

 acted that "no Person shall sell to a Merchant Stranger any broad White 

 Woolen Cloth made in England unless he cannot sell it to some Eng- 

 lish Merchant within Eight Days after he brought it to Blackwell Hall, 

 except the Sale be in Fairs, Ports, or Creeks."^ In 1635 the drapers 

 and merchants of London acquired a monopoly of buying country- 

 cloths both by retail and wholesale directly from the clothiers.^ B}- 

 1660 the Blackwell Hall factors had become buyers or intervening 

 agents. Therefore, both through the London draper and the foreign 

 merchant, the cloth business was being concentrated in London and 



^ His business is described by Defoe, Com. Eng. Tr., 1, 2; and by Campbell, 

 Lon. Tr., 194; his relations to the clothier are suggested in Gent Mag., 1739: 2vS6. 



- See "Clothier;" see also V. C. H., York, II, 413 and S. P. Dom. Eliz. cclii. 2, 

 that they bought up stockings and cushions; and carpet and coverlets. 



'See "Factors at Leeds;" a State Paper of 1595 said, speaking of York 

 products, "The chefe buyers of thes ar Mr. Kent, Mr. White Nicholas Baste of 

 Lyncolne and John Swane of Yorkc who inethe at the Bell savage in London." S. 

 P. Dom., Eliz., CCLII, 2. 



* As at Howden in York, Pococke, I, 185. 



M4-15 Hen. VIII, Cap. 1. 



^S. P. Dom. Chas. I, cclxxxii, 130. 



