THE SILK INDUSTRY IN WESSEX. 75 



In the year 1776 several letters passed between the owner 

 of Westbury and Thomas Sharrer (another son of Thomas 

 Sharrer, deceased) on the subject of the Throwsters Company 

 in London. Willmott desired to become a member of the 

 company, and asked Sharrer to find out whether they intend- 

 ed to put in force an Act of Parliament which regulated the 

 trade and prohibited anyone from practising the " art and 

 mystery " until a seven years' apprenticeship had been 

 served. This statute became law in 1662, but had appar- 

 ently fallen into disuse before the period now under con- 

 sideration. It is obvious that a strict enforcement of the 

 provisions of the Act would have suppressed much of the 

 competition by grist millers and others who possessed the 

 needful w r ater-power, but had no knowledge of the craft 

 which Charles the Second's Parliament had intended to 

 protect from untrained rivalry. 



The Silk Throwsters' Company had been incorporated by 

 letters patent in 1629 ; but it had neither Hall nor Livery, 

 and no longer exists as an active organisation. It is not 

 mentioned in books of reference after 1870-75, consequently 

 I have not been able to find the present custodian of its 

 records for the purpose of enquiring whether Willmott 's 

 name is entered on the roll of freemen. The charter and bye- 

 laws, however, are now in the care of Mr. W. B. Ingle, the 

 upper-bailiff of the Weavers' Company. 



The Silk Throwers, as was the custom, received a grant 

 of Arms, the terms of which do not appear to have been 

 hitherto printed and may therefore be quoted here : 



State Papers Domestic (Charles I., vol. 147). Document No. 38 in 

 this volume after reciting a grant of 23 April, 5 Charles I., whereby 

 Robert Bollinge and others, then exercising the trade, art and mystery 

 of silk throwing in London and the suburbs thereof, had become a body 

 politic and corporate, proceeds as follows : And Clarenceux, King of 

 Arms, being requested by Robert Bollinge, the master, and Thomas 

 Lorde and William Harte, the wardens, to grant to them some ensigns 

 and badges of honour for their use, thereby granted to the corporation 

 arms, crest, supporters and seal. Party per fesse azure and vert, on the 

 first a silk mitt or, on the second a London throw of silk between two bundles 



