68 THE SILK INDUSTRY IN WESSEX. 



Westbury mill, and other premises in Sherborne leased from 

 Benjamin Bastard. One clause in the deed provides that 

 the said George Ward and William Willmott shall not during 

 the partnership " play at cards, dice, tables, bowls or other 

 " games for more than the sum of two shillings and sixpence, 

 " or bet or lay more than that sum at any such game or at 

 " any horse race or cock match or other sport or pastime 

 " without the previous consent in writing of John Sharrer." 



The House of Commons Journals for 1765 tell us a little 

 as to the extent of the new trade in Sherborne. A 

 Parliamentary Committee was appointed to enquire into the 

 condition of the silk manufacture in this country, which 

 had suffered from the large importation of French wrought 

 silks. Among the witnesses was John Sherrard (a misprint 

 for Sharrer), who told the Committee that he was a silk- 

 thrower employing 500 hands in London, 200 in Gloucester- 

 shire, 400 in Dorset, and 400 in Cheshire, the total being 

 1,500 ; of these, 1.400 were women and children and 100 were 

 men. Children were employed at seven years of age. From 

 this e\idence I assume that Westbury mill had so far 

 developed its trade in 1765 as to afford employment to 400 

 persons, indoor and outdoor, at Sherborne and elsewhere in 

 the county, as will appear. 



Before the expiration of the partnership John Sharrer 

 died, and it was Susanna his widow who obtained from 

 Henry, Lord Digby on 14 Jan. ,1768, an absolute lease of the 

 mill for 58 years, in fulfilment of the agreement of 2 April, 

 1755. The lessor reserved the right to turn the stream known 

 as the Oborne water out of its usual course, for his own 

 purposes, in seven specified months of each year, and to 

 divert the stream during Saturday night and Sunday from 

 May to October. These reservations may have caused in 

 part the shortage of water power which Willmott mentions 

 from time to time in the correspondence. 



After the death of the founder of the industry, George 

 Ward and William Willmott agreed to effect a friendly 

 division of their joint interests, as from 20 March, 1769. 



