0fOXF0%p~SHl'KE. t 7 > 



king worfled ftockings ; of head wool and bay wool, theymake the 

 blankets of 1 2, 1 1 , and i o quarters broadband fomtimes (end it,if 

 ic bear a good price, to Kederminfter for making their Stuffs, and 

 to Evefiam, Tarjhore, &c. for making jam blockings ; or into Effex 

 for making Bays, whence one fort of them I fuppofe is called bay 

 wool: of the ordinary and middle they make blankets of 8 and 7 

 quarters broad ; and of thefemixt with the courfer locks of fleece 

 wooll, a fort of ftufT they call Duffields (which if finer than ordi* 

 nary,they make too of fleece wooll) of which Duffields and blankets 

 confifts the chief Trade of Witney* 



171. Thefe Duffields, fo called from a Town in Brabant, where 

 the trade of them firft began (whence it came to Colcbtfter, Brain - 

 try, isrc. and fo to Witney') otherwife caWtdflags, and by the Mer- 

 chants, trucking cloth ; they make m pieces of about 30 yards long, 

 and one yard \ broad, and dye them red or blue, which are the co- 

 lours beft pleafe the Indians of Virginia and New England, with 

 whom the Merchants truck them for Bever, and other Furs of fe- 

 veral Beafts, (yc the ufe they have for them is to apparel them- 

 felves with them, their manner being to tear them into gowns of a- 

 bout two yards long, thrufting their arms through two holes made 

 for that purpofe, and fo wrapping the reft about them as we our 

 loofe Coats. Our Merchants have abufed them for many years with 

 fo falfe colours, that they will not hold their glofs above a month 

 wear ; but there is an in geniox* perfon of Witney that has improved 

 them much of late, by fixing upon them a true blue dye, having 

 an eye of red, whereof as foon as the India m (ball be made fenfi- 

 ble, and the difturbances now araongft them over, no doubt the 

 trade inthofe will be much advanced again. 



172. Of their beft tail wooll ohcy make the blankets of 6 quar- 

 ters broad, commonly called cats, which (erve Sea-men for their 

 Hammocs, and of their worft they make Wednel for Collar-makers, 

 "wrappers to pack their blanckets in, and tilt-cloths for Barge-men. 

 They fend all the forts of Duffields and Blankets weekly in waggons 

 up to London, which return laden with fell wooll from Leaden-hall, 

 and Barnaby-flreet'm Southward whether 'tis brought for this pur- 

 pofe from moft places above-mention'd ; Gxford-fiire and the ad- 

 jacent Counties being not able to fupply them. 



1 73. There are alfo in this Town a great many E ell-mongers, 

 out of whom at the neighboring Town of Bampton, there arifes 



an- 



