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STRAW-PLAITING— A LOST ESSEX INDUSTRY. 



By I. CHALKLEY GOULD, F.S.A.. Vice-President, E.F.C. 

 {Read October 2%th, 1 905.] 



AT the outset of my remarks I must state that Mr. Miller 

 Christy, our President, when writing on " Straw-Plait, 

 ing " for the Victoria History, derived certain information from 

 me, in return for which he kindly gave me details relating to the 

 early statistics of the plait trade in Essex, which I have used in 

 this paper ; and I must own my indebtedness to Mr. Aylott, of 

 Hitchin, for much information as to the past and present trade 

 in his district. 



References exist to the plait trade in Bedfordshire at earlier 

 dates, but so far as Essex is concerned it is not till the end of 

 the 18th century that any record appears. Then the Marquis 

 and Marchioness of Buckingham, living in that grand old Essex 

 House, Gosfield Place — endeavouring something for the welfare 

 of their cottage neighbours — introduced straw-plaiting to the 

 villagers of Gosfield. 



The coarse appearance of the early efforts of the Gosfield 

 women hindered the sale, but their noble patrons encouraged the 

 workers by wearing the results of their labour, and very soon fine 

 work was produced ; by 1806 the sales from Gosfield amounted 

 to £1,700 in the year, and Arthur Young, writing in 1807, was 

 able to refer to the village having received the greatest of 

 temporal blessings by the trade. 1 



Other Essex villagers soon adopted straw-plaiting as a 

 constant employment for the women and an occasional occupation 

 for men and boys. The Colne Valley villages and the neighbour- 

 hood of Bocking were homes of the trade, but, curiously enough, 

 it seems to have been confined to somewhat narrow limits 

 instead of spreading over the country. 



In the palmy days of the industry women produced three- 

 score yards of plait in a week, selling at 7s. per score, but this 

 halcyon condition did not last, for the farmer, instead of almost 

 giving the straw away, made a business of selling it. Then too, 

 as more villages took up plaiting, commercial competition 

 increased and the earnings of the plaiters dropped, till in 

 1840 from 3d. to iod. a score was all that was realized, the price 



1 General View of Agriculture (1807). 



