A HISTORY OF DORSET 



Cranborne had a short-lived ribbon-weaving 

 industry in the eighteenth century,*' whilst Brid- 

 port, in addition to its specialities of ropes and sail- 

 cloth, also made, and still makes, linen thread/* 

 Melbury Osmond was noted in the early part of the 

 last century for the manufacture of staymalcers' 

 tape, known as ' Melbury iron tape,' ^' besides its 

 * extensive trade in horn buttons and plated 

 buckles.' ^ SnufF was being manufactured at 

 North Chardstock in 1812.^' Straw-plaiting 

 was introduced into Swanage early in the nine- 

 teenth century.'^ ' Dorchester Cakes ' were a 

 delicacy which has not escaped the notice of 

 various travellers. 



Stained glass was at one time made in Dorset. 



Before the Reform.ition [s.iys Aubrey] I believe there 

 was no county or gre.it town in England but had 

 glasse painters. Old — Harding of Blandford in 

 Dorsetshire, where I went to schoole, was the only 

 country glasse painter that ever I knew. Upon play 

 dales I was wont to visit his shop and furnaces. He 

 dyed about 1643, aged about 83 or more.''^ 



A thriving trade was carried on at an early 

 date in Lyme Regis by letting the right to cut 

 and harvest the oare growing on the rock-ledges, 

 500 acres being left dry at low water. In the 

 reign of Edward VI Roger Garland, mayor, ' re- 

 ceived of the man that burns the oare, that was 

 due unto the town, 2js.'^ In 1569 an 'arrear- 

 age ' of oare, 205., appears in the town accounts. 

 The right of gathering was let in 1589 for three 

 years at 40;. a year, the renters being protected 

 by law. A fine of 40/. was inflicted in one 

 case in 1569.^* In 1580 an order was made by 

 the Court of Hustings that none were to burn 

 the oare within the parish and liberty without 

 licence from Mr. Mayor. ^^ Thomas Wood, 

 who was fined 2j., seems to have been the first 

 offender against this decree.*' Mr. John Roze 

 ' for charges of the oare ashes ' received 

 £1 I2S. 8d. at this date. 



In Elizabeth's reign near Canford on the Dor- 

 set coast, 'James, Lord Mountjoy, studious in 

 mineral matters, began to make calcantum, or 

 vitriol (we call it copperas), and to boil alum.' *' 



Early in the eighteenth century this latter was 

 manufactured at Kimmeridge by Sir William 

 Clavell of Smedmore,*' but the works, after the 

 owner had expended ^^4,000 upon their con- 



" Hutchins, Hist. Dorset, ii, 137. 



»«Ibid. i, 233. 



'' Stevenson, ^gric. of Dorset, 450. 



™ Hutchins, Hist. Dorset, iv, 439. 



*' Stevenson, Agric. of Dorset, 450. 



" Ibid. 



'^ Hutchins, op. cit. (1874), i, 216. 



^ Roberts, Hist. Southern Counties, 388. 



« Ibid. 



'* Court of Hustings Book of Lyme. 



" Roberts, Hist. Southern Counties, 389. 



** Hutchins, Hist. Dorset, ii, no. 



«* Ibid, i, 172. 



struction, besides building a pier 100 ft. long, 

 60 ft. broad, and 50 ft. high, for the export of 

 the alum,'" were 'seized to the king's use,'"' all 

 the alum houses and mines in Dorset having been 

 granted to Paul Pindar for twelve years.'^ After 

 his disastrous 'setting up ' of the forfeited alum 

 industry, Sir William attempted to establish salt 

 works and a glasshouse. The glasshouse at Kim- 

 meridge had 'come to perfection' in 1732, when 

 it seemed ' likely to redound to a good benefit ' ; " 

 but sixteen years later ruined buildings and heaps 

 of ashes were all that remained of the works.'* 

 ' Bluish stones,' yielding ' such an offensive 

 savour and extraordinary blackness that the 

 people labouring about those fires were more 

 like furies than men,' '* were used as fuel in the 

 glasshouse. This was of course the Kimmeridge 

 coal, 'a highly bituminous layer of shaly stone 

 about 2 ft. 10 in. thick with its partings, and of 

 a dark brown colour,' whence its local name of 

 blackstone. It breaks with a conchoidal fracture 

 and readily ignites.''' This shale has been in 

 use from time immemorial, ornaments and vessels 

 made from it figuring amongst Roman remains at 

 Weymouth and at Silchester ; whilst it was ex- 

 tensively used as fuel in the neighbourhood of 

 Kimmeridge, ' for which purpose however its 

 abominable odour renders it unsuitable.' When 

 the price of coals was high the shale was worked 

 at bs. a ton." It is still occasionally employed. 



The whole of the mineral property at Kim- 

 meridge is now leased to the Kimmeridge Oil 

 and Carbon Company, who carry on the manu- 

 facture of paraffin. The Blackstone seam yields 

 120 gallons to the ton, or 66 gallons when 

 largely distilled, the common shale only yielding 

 33 gallons.'* The company use the coal for 

 fuel, and for improving the illuminating power 

 of coal-dust, as well as for the extraction of the 

 oil. The residual coke and carbon which are 

 left after the distillation of the oil can be used 

 as a deodorizer, a disinfectant, &c., and as a 

 manure ; whilst an insecticide has also been 

 made from the oil." 



A ' Bituminous Manure Company ' was es- 

 tablished at Wareham in 1848 for the produc- 

 tion of manures, jet varnish, paints, mineral 

 spirits, naphtha, machine oil, and asphalt. Twenty 

 thousand shares were issued at ;^5 each.*" 



To the lively Diary of Celia Fiennes in the 

 reign of William and Mary we are indebted for 



''" Coker, Surv. of Dorset, 47. 

 " Ibid. 



" Hutchins, Hist. Dorset, i, 172. 

 " Coker, Surv. of Dorset, 47. 



Hutchins, Hist. Dorset, i, 172. 



Coker, Surv. of Dorset, 47. 



Mem. Geol. Surv. 1906, p. 14. 



Warne, Ancient Dors. 2 78. 

 " Mem. Geol. Surv. 1898, p. 54. 

 "' Ibid. 

 "" Warne, Ancient Dorset, 278. 



330 



