v322 Textiles and Textile Materials Trades 



no more bad Cloth, nor any Cloth disliked by Bars, Strips, or Pirns, 

 occasioned by putting different Kinds of Flax, in the same Piece. "^ 



There arose a class of "hawkers" or "jobbers" between the manu- 

 facturers of linens and the linen-drapers. They bought up the cloth 

 in the country and disposed of it to the drapers. \ contemporary 

 ascribed their rise to the abuses which the drapers practiced against 

 the manufacturers; the hawkers were more competent to deal with 

 the manufacturers. But the jobbers soon abused their position bv 

 ingrossing and forestalling.- 



Another party who operated on the markets was the factor. He 

 bought and sold on commission for the merchants, drapers and manu- 

 facturers. There was a board of trustees who had the power of 

 appointing factors at the Dublin and other Irish markets.^ While 

 the factors never attained a prominent position in the linen trade, 

 in conjunction wdth the merchants and importers they were the 

 centralizing feature of it.'' Some acted as agents for continental 

 merchants. 



The linen-draper was a tradesman of considerable capital, employees, 

 profits, and connection. Those of London sold by retail and whole- 

 sale the linens of Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France and Holland. 

 They became capable judges of cloth. ^ The wholesalers appear to 

 have opposed the rise of domestic manufacture in England lest their 

 business be, in part, superseded by a more direct exchange between 

 manufacturer and consumer.'' Those of Ireland likewise favored 

 the consumption in Ireland of foreign linens since their business was 

 intermediary between importers and retailers. '^ They exercised con- 

 siderable control over the method of manufacture. The drapers of 

 Lisburn, Belfast and other parts of Ireland formed associations agree- 

 ing not to buy linens unless in "open folds. "^ This represented a 

 general movement toward enforcing the law of sealing all linens. The 

 number of drapers appears to have been quite large in Ireland, for 

 195 drapers from four towns are reported to have joined these asso- 

 ciations. 



^ "Interest of Scotland," 165. 



2 "Rev-iew of Evils in Linen" (1762), I, 29-30; 11, 16. 



3 Gent. Mag., 1746: 557. 



* "Letter from Merchant," 57. 



5 Campbell, 282. 



""Letter from INIerchant," 30. 



" Ibid., 56-7. 



« "Review of F.vils," 21, 23, 30-2. 



