284 * Textiles and Textile Materials Trades 



ally Men of Credit, and capable of giving security for their regular 

 Carriage."^ This definition suggests not only that a carrier class had 

 arisen but that they had become a responsible class. In towns sit- 

 uate on the greater highways carriers formed an important class of 

 citizens and had a close connection with the local and metropolitan 

 traders.- In such parts they had become a self-conscious class — -for 

 "divers waggoners and other carriers, by combination amongst them- 

 selves, have raised the prices of carriage of goods in many places to 

 excessive rates, to the great injury of trade. "^ Comment was made 

 in 1728 on the "infinite Number of Carriers, Waggoners, Pedlars, and 

 Tra\elling Chapmen ... as well on Foot as on Horseback" 

 and on the "proportion'd Number of PubUck Houses, as Victuallers, 

 Inns, Alehouses on the Roads. "^ A specialized class of common 

 carriers was, therefore, arising, running schedule lines of vehicles, at 

 reduced rates and greater speed, for the transport of travellers and 

 merchandise and information. 



Conditions ripened in the last half of the seventeenth century for 

 the use of an agency system by the clothiers. Common carriers had 

 developed. The post and roads were being improved. Communica- 

 tion eased trade. Correspondence was more easily carried. . "Bank 

 Post Bills" made the transmission of money safe." Mercantile and 

 commercial papers were carried by post.^ The clothier could send 

 patterns and samples of cloth by mail to agents at London and re- 

 ceive orders Ukewise.'' In general, the way was now open for the 

 introduction of the Blackwell Hall "factor" as middleman between 

 clothier and draper or merchant. 



But before passing to the business of the Blackwell Hall "factors" 

 the organization of the clothiers' business in the north and east dis- 

 tricts must be described. 



{b) North District. The north cloth manufacture was more tardy 

 in reaching prominence than that of the east or west. It is char- 

 acterized by many peculiarities of organization. The north country 

 was poorest: it suffered extraordinarily from the ravages of war, 



1 Hu}-nes, View of Present, 91. 



- For example, see Morton, Nat. Hist, of Xorthants, 18, 25, for Towcestcr on 

 the Chester road in 1712. 



' Northants N. and Q. I, 260; \'. C. H., Northants, II, 291. 



^ "Atlas Mar. et Com.,"' 108; Defoe made the same sort of remark in 174.S, in 

 his Com. Eng. Tr., II, 174. 



^ Bisschop, Rise, 141-2; Gilbarl, I, 41, 1,^8. 



M2 Chas. II, Cap. 35. 



^ J. H. C, 1745-50: 751-2; 26 Geo. II, Cap. 13, Sec. 7-8. 



