576 ON THE PI? ICE OF TEXTILE FABRICS. 



as cheap as is. a yard in 1593- Generally however it is 

 between 2s. ^d. and $s. a yard. It appears to have been early 

 naturalised in England, and to have been very widely manu- 

 factured, especially in the West of England. In 1687 I find 

 it bought at Oxford at *]s. a yard, the highest price I have 

 found. There are sixteen years in which this kind of cloth is 

 quoted. 



In five years, cloth is purchased for poor persons at a very 

 uniform rate, between is. and is. 6d. a yard. In 1608 it is 

 called russet, and is bought by the churchwardens of Scale, a 

 Surrey village, near Farnham. Russet is bought at Faversham 

 in 1590 by the ell, the price by the yard being also given, and 

 the distinction between these two measures, under which the 

 ell is ij yd., being specified. This is the only case in which 

 I have found cloth bought by the ell, and the later distinction 

 of ell and yard expressed. In 1616 the Seale Churchwardens 

 again purchase the ordinary amount for a garment, 4^ yards, 

 for a poor man. In 1627 they buy five yards of grey cloth for 

 a poor woman. In 1639 the officials at Stockton buy five 

 yards at is. 6d. for a poor child. These entries are interesting, 

 as they show that cloth purchased by public charity for the 

 poor was not much inferior in quality to that bought by the 

 better-off classes for common wear. 



Say, generally I believe used for curtains and covering 

 cushions, is found six times. The price is very uniform, be- 

 tween 2s. and is. 6d. the yard. It was mainly manufactured 

 at Norwich. I have found it only in the earlier years of the 

 period. Whenever any colour is given of it, it is always green. 

 It is spoken of as broad, and on one occasion as ell-broad. 



Camlet is a rather expensive material. In 1608 it is IQS. 

 a yard, in 1615, when it is said to be crimson, it is 9^. 6d. In 

 1629 two qualities are bought, at 8j. and at $s. %d. In 1631, 

 sea-green Venice camlet is bought, by Lord Spencer at us. 

 In 1631, Bering gives 6s. a yard for hair camlet. In 1655, 

 Master purchases Holland camlet at los. and ys. for a suit 

 and a cloak, the cheaper article being evidently employed for 



