320 Textiles and Textile Materials Trades 



of 1200 frames, called "putters-out" in Nottinghamshire, all trading 

 directly to London. ^ London exported big orders of hose to Spain 

 and rivaled Lyons in France.^ The frames were rented by the week.' 



(c) Linen. 



The linen industry was practically confined to the Manchester 

 region and Durham, and to Ireland and Scotland. In 1641 Roberts 

 wrote: "The towne of Manchester in Lancashire must be also herein 

 remembered, and worthily, for their encouragement commended, 

 who buy the yarne of the Irish, in great quantity, and weaving it 

 returne the same againe in linen, into Ireland to sell."'* A writer in 

 1680 mentioned Hnen as "a considerable manufacture in Cheshire, 

 Lancashire, and in the parts adjacent."^ The linen industry was 

 promoted by WiUiam and Mary by incorporating three great linen 

 companies, one each for England, Scotland and Ireland, on the joint- 

 stock plan, to introduce the improved French methods of damask 

 and linen wea\dng.^ Darlington in Durham was advanced much by 

 this royal aid.^ It was noted for huckabacks.^ These were manu- 

 factured in Darlington and surrounding villages, and were carried to 

 market at Darlington in packs on the backs of weavers or their don- 

 keys. Each house had at its rear a shed where the weaving was 

 carried on. In some cases the merchants bought the linen unbleached 

 and had large bleaching grounds; during the eighteenth century- 

 bleaching became a separate industry^ and Scotch linens were brought 

 hither for bleaching. The raw material in Durham was mostly 

 domestic produce, but that used in Lancashire was imported from 

 Ireland. The Irish merchants brought their linen to Liverpool and 

 sold it to the Manchester merchants from early times.' ° The Irish 

 linen industry was fostered by Stafford and made much progress 

 during the seventeenth century, enough to provoke the EngHsh to 



1 Felkin, 83. 



- Young, Annals of Agric, X, 447. 



^ See rates of rent and values of frames in Henson, and in Toulmin Smith, Eng. 

 Gilds, 233. 



* Lewis Roberts, Treasure of Traffike, 73. 

 ^ "Brit. Languens." 



* Scott, Joint Stock Cos. before 1720. 

 '> Thoresby, Diary, II, 430. 



* Universal Magazine, Oct. 1749: 147. 

 9V. C. H., Durh., II, 316. 



10 Leland, Itin. VII, fol. 56, p. 47. 



