E N G L A N D. 



I ttp*ctor. 



Norwich 

 manufac- 

 ture. 



Historical 

 notice*. 



By the same stamping act, three set* of uflkni 

 were appointed to superintend the woollen manu- 

 facture, both in Yorkshire and in the west of Eng- 

 land ; but in the west they perform their duty in 

 very negligent manner, and in Yorkshire they are 

 by no means very strict or careful. These officers arc, 

 I -t, the searchers, who measure the cloth at the fulling- 

 mill, after it is fulled, stamp it, and put their seal on 

 it, with the length and breadth, which are entered in 

 a book. After this, the clothier may take it away. 

 The second set of officers, are the inspectors, who go 

 among the dressers, in order to see that they do not 

 overstretch the cloth, and restamp them, if materially 

 short or narrow. They also inspect the tenters, and 

 observe that improper cards are not used in dressing 

 Supervisors, the cloths. The last set of officers are the supervisors, 

 who superintend the others. In purchasing cloth, how- 

 ever, the merchant does not consider himself bound to 

 take the pieces at the length which the searcher has 

 stamped upon them. 



Norwich was the first seat of the worsted manufac- 

 ture in England, or rather perhaps Worsted, a small 

 town in the county of Norfolk, from which the manu- 

 facture took its name. About the end of the 14th and 

 beginning of the 15th century, this species of manu- 

 facture extended itself, not only over the county of 

 Norfolk, but even through Suffolk and Cambridge- 

 shire; and, in process of .time, sent its colonies into 

 Essex, the midland and southern counties, and even 

 into Yorkshire. In the time of Henry VIII. the sale 

 of stuffs made in Norwich only amounted to L. 100, 000 

 annually, besides stockings, which were computed at 

 L.60,000 more. During the two succeeding reigns, new 

 articles of manufacture were introduced; and, in 1575, 

 the Dutch, who fled hither from the persecutions of the 

 Duke of Alva, introduced the making of bombaseens, 

 a manufacture for which this city has been long fa- 

 mous. At this period, however, and for a consider- 

 able time afterwards, its trade did not depend so much 

 upon foreign demand as it does now. As long as Sir 

 Robert Walpole continued in power, he encouraged its 

 manufactures of crape, then a staple article, by using 

 his influence for orders to be given, that the public 

 mournings should always be in Norwich crajics. The 

 most fatal blow to the home trade of this city was given 

 by the prevalence of cotton manufactures, which be- 

 gan to be sold cheap, after the invention of Sir Robert 

 Arkwright. It then became absolutely necessary for 

 the Norwich manufacturers to seek a market abroad ; 

 and this they succeeded in obtaining. There was scarce- 

 ly a country in Europe, in which their goods were not 

 to be seen, and the demand for them increased so much, 

 and so rapidly, that it became necessary to increase the 

 importation of bay yarn from Ireland. Before, how- 

 ever, the commencement of the first French revolu- 

 tionary war, the manufactures of Norwich began to 

 shew symptoms of decline, and the war completed its 

 ruin. It has since revived a little, but probably will 

 never regain its former prosperity. While the trade' was 

 tolerable, it was estimated that about 50,000 tods of 

 wool were combed and spun in the county of Norfolk, 

 which employed about 500 combers, and furnished 

 (pinning work for most of the poor women and chil- 

 dren in the county. During its flourishing state, the 

 returns of the manufacture were estimated to be about 

 L.I, 200,000 per annum ; and even in \805, when it 

 was deprived of many of its foreign markets, the re- 

 turns were nearly L.800,000. Of this sum it was cal- 

 culated that the price of labour took off L.685,000, 



while the value of the raw material, dying stuff, oil, *uti*is. 

 soap, and coals, was only L.I 15,000 ; thus shewing its ^'^r^" ' 

 great importance. It furnished employment for about 

 jCI distinct occupations. The staple articles of mamt- ]> rcsent 

 facttire in Norwich may IK- said to be its fine camblets, state, 

 of which tin' East India Company take off annually a 

 considerable quantity, and its worsted damasks, shawls, 



a* 



Before proceeding to the consideration of the woollen 

 manufacture of North Wales, it may be proper briefly 

 to notice the districts, or places in England, where 

 other species of goods made from wool, than those al- 

 ready noticed, are manufactured. It would be tedious. 

 however, even to name all the kinds of these g<Kxls, or 

 the various places in which they are made; we must, 

 therefore, content ourselves with noticing the most 

 considerable. In Devonshire, and the adjoining part Woollev 

 of Cornwall, as well as in some parts of Somersetshire, manufac- 

 a variety of woollen goods, little consumed in England, turc of De- 

 are made, such as druggets, long-ells, &c. These are vons!ure - 

 sold as they come from the loom to the merchants of 

 Exeter, where they are milled, dyed, and finished, and 

 afterwards exported. The East India Company take 

 off a large proportion of the long-ells : while this ma- 

 nufacture was in a flourishing state, the average an- 

 nual value exported to all parts was valued at L.()00,000. 

 In other parts of Devonshire, there are also branches 

 of the woollen manufacture ; of which the manufac- 

 ture of plush, at Modbury, deserves notice, on account 

 of the ingenious construction of the machines used for 

 this purpose. 



A large manufacture of baize was formerly carried Bahr. 

 on in the towns and neighbourhood of Colchester, 

 Bocking, Braintree, and Coggleshall, in the county of 

 Essex. This article was exported to Spain, Portugal, 

 and Italy ; but the manufacture has greatly declined 

 here, having passed to other places, especially to Rock- 

 dale, in Lancashire, on the borders of Yorkshire. This, 

 indeed, is one of the most flourishing places in the 

 kingdom, for the manufacture of baize, serges, flan- 

 nels, &c. The population of the district, in which 

 this manufacture is carried on, is about 36,000 ; and it 

 is calculated that one half are employed in it. Baize 

 and flannels are also manufactured at Bury, in Lan- 

 cashire, and the former article, with coarse cloth 

 and blankets, at Chichester in Sussex. Salisbury is* 

 noted for its flannels. Blankets are made at Leeds, Blankets. 

 Witney, Dulverton, &c. With respect to Witney, 

 however, it may be observed, that since the introduc- 

 tion of machinery, the chief part of the blankets 

 (though they still retain the name) are made in Gla- 

 morganshire, and sent to Witney. Carpets are inanu- Carpet*, 

 factored at Kiddersminster, Wilton, Cirencester, Wor- 

 cester, Axminster, &c. Those made at the last place 

 are deemed equal to any imported from Turkey or 

 Persia. 



At Kendal, Ambleside, and Keswick, there are made shalloon 1 

 considerable quantities of coarse woollens, druggets, &c- 

 &c. At Andover, Basingstoke, and Alton, in Hamp- 

 shire, the latter article, and shalloons, serges, and a 

 variety of worsted articles. At Banbury and Coven- 

 try, worsted shags. At Burford, rugs. Fleecy hosiery 

 at Godalming, in Surrey. It has already been men- 

 tioned, that the Norwich manufacture extended itself 

 into Suffolk ; but the articles now made there rather 

 differ from those made in that city, consisting of light 

 stuff, bunting, crape, &c. The manufacture of these 

 articles is carried on at Sudbury, Bury St Edmund's, 

 Ncidham Market, and Lavenham. In this county, 

 4, 



