660 LABOUR AND WAGES. 



greatest amount of that which was manufactured for sale came 

 from the domestic industry of cottagers. Long after the time 

 about which I am writing, there is information as to how the 

 villagers came with their stock of yarn and cloth into Leeds 

 and Bradford, and chaffered with the dealers. It is not at all 

 impossible that the low wages of Northern England are to be 

 explained by the almost universal presence of this bye-industry. 

 Had I been able to come at more information as to private 

 expenditure, I should have, I doubt not, found abundant 

 evidence as to the prices of textile labour. They are all by 

 piece. 



The materials are wool, hemp, flax and tow, and occasionally 

 hair. The operations are spinning yarn, and weaving linen, 

 hempen and woollen cloth. In 1586 wool was spun at is. a 

 stone, in 1595 at is- 4d. t in 1599 at 2s. ^d. and is. 6d., in 1616 

 at 2s. Spinning flax in 1608 is paid at 2^. a pound, spinning 

 hemp in 1654 at iod., spinning tow in 1607 at ^d. The article. 

 I suppose was served out raw, and brought back in yarn. The 

 earlier prices are from Theydon Gernon, the later from 

 Horstead Keynes. Besides these, in 1617 spinning yarn is 

 priced at 6d.> also at Theydon Gernon, but the material is not 

 given. It is very likely tow. I may add that swingling hemp 

 was done by women at ^d. a day, Shuttleworth hiring seven 

 for this work. 



In 1587 Lord Pembroke pays \d. a yard for weaving cloth, 

 the material not stated, but probably woollen. In 1588 he 

 pays id. and \\d. a yard for weaving frysado. In 1590 

 Shuttleworth pays \\d. and id. for weaving cloth, and Lord 

 Pembroke $d. for weaving woollen. In 1607 the Archers pay 

 ^d. a yard for weaving cloth, in 1618 $d. an ell, i.e. the same 

 price as in 1607, and in 1620 id., this being designated as tow 

 cloth. 



In 1586 Shuttleworth gets blanket woven at \d. a yard ; in 

 1588 Lord Pembroke pays i\d. The blanket in these cases 

 is probably a coarse frieze worn by servants in husbandry, and 

 constituting the livery of which we read in the justices' assess- 



