84 THE SILK INDUSTRY IN WESSEX. 



people could be obtained. He thought that it would be a 

 good thing for the industrious poor, and offered to let to the 

 Willmotts a building of two floors 93ft. by 18ft., well lighted. 

 The letter book does not contain the answer to this proposal, 

 nor can I trace any further reference to Evershot in the 

 documents. 



At the beginning of the new century Mrs. Willmott took 

 her second son, Thomas, into partnership, as from December, 

 1800. Westbury mill and its various offshoots continued to 

 prosper under the guidance of the new firm, so much so that 

 Thomas Willmott acquired in June, 1809, for the purposes 

 of his trade, the water grist-mill known as the Castle, or 

 East, mill in Sher borne. In March, 1814, he bought from 

 William Burnet the mill known as Oke's, or the Middle, mill, 

 also in Sherborne, together with all the machinery and tools 

 therein used for silk throwing. The original deeds relating 

 to these purchases are included in our collection. It seems 

 probable that the William Burnet who sold Oke's mill to 

 Willmott in 1814 was the buyer (either alone or with others) 

 of the Abbey mill in 1793 when it passed from Mrs. Smout's 

 control. 



The letter and account books and the correspondence 

 come to an end soon after 1800, but a few particulars as to 

 the subsequent history of the undertaking may be extracted 

 from the Proceedings of a House of Commons committee 

 which enquired into the condition of the silk trade in April 

 and May, 1832. Thomas Willmott was then chosen to give 

 evidence as a representative mill-owner, as had been the 

 case with his great-uncle, John Sharrer, on a similar occasion 

 in the year 1765. Willmott tells the committee that he 

 had been engaged as a silk thrower in Sherborne for 32 years, 

 one of his mills having existed for 80 years and two others 

 for about 20 years ; that before 1826 (when protective duties 

 were in force) he had 8,000 spindles at work and 600 hands, 

 at the time of the enquiry the spindles were 3,000 and the 

 workpeople 150 only : about two-thirds of the hands were 

 winders at home, and one-third worked in the mills : half 



