A HISTORY OF DORSET 



In 1793 the textile industry of the county 

 was chiefly concerned with the manufacture of 

 sail-cloth, centering in the town of Beaminster, 

 where Messrs. Cox & Co. alone employed 600 

 persons, 2,000 people being employed in the 

 locality altogether.'^ The firm had another 

 establishment at Bridport, where 1,800 persons 

 were employed, out of a total of 7,000 engaged 

 in the industry in the town and neighbourhood.^ 

 Women and children earned 8;^. a day, spinning 

 4 lb. at 2d. per lb., children being paid at the 

 rate of 2d. to 3^/. a day for turning a wheel.'* 

 Sail-cloth was made in pieces of 40 yds., selling 

 at from 1 5^. to I -jd. per yard." Sacks for grain 

 or flour were made at 37;. per dozen, capable of 

 containing 4 bushels or 9 gallons.'* Young 

 girls were largely employed in the manufacture 

 at Loders in 1 8 1 2,'' the woollen manufacture at 

 this date being spoken of as ' almost confined to 

 Sturminster and Lyme Regis,' *" the latter manu- 

 facturing broadcloth and flannels, whilst Stur- 

 minster had four or five clothiers and 300 

 weavers, chiefly engaged in the production of 

 swanskin, the amount, however, showing a 

 marked decline in the trade.*' Beaminster was 

 producing wool-cloth, Cerne Abbas had a small 

 manufactory of dowlas,*" Fifehead Neville of 

 swanskin, Gillingham of bed-ticking, Oborne of 

 cloth, Silton of ticking and dowlas, Stickland 



had two serge weavers, Stoke Abbott made sail- 

 cloth, sacking, and narrow cloth.*' In 1823 

 Gillingham had five manufactories of tick and 

 dowlas ; ** at Lyme Regis, Stanton, England & 

 Glyde were employing more than 200 persons 

 in the manufacture of broad and narrow woollen 

 cloth.*' In 1830 plain and striped cottons were 

 being made at Poole and Abbotsbury ; ** at 

 Beaminster the Birt was propelling three mills 

 for spinning linen yarn for the sail-cloth manu- 

 facture.*' Linsey woolsey was being produced 

 at Shaftesbury.** Some linen was being manu- 

 factured at Sherborne in 1826.*' 



The main part of the industry had always 

 been situated on the borders of the county, and 

 it is not wonderful that in a time of depression and 

 contraction of trade, it should have been drawn 

 to the larger centres in Devonshire, Somerset, 

 and Wiltshire. It never returned to Dorset, 

 because with the revival and expansion of the 

 trade came the introduction of machinery, and 

 then the bulk of the woollen industry migrated 

 northwards. There seems to have been no dis- 

 tress caused in Dorset by the decay of its 

 clothiers, perhaps because this was gradual, and 

 because several short-lived industries sprang up, 

 while long-standing manufactures such as brew- 

 ing, sail-cloth making, and lace-making received a 

 fresh impetus. 



SILK 



The silk industry of Dorset, which has always 

 been chiefly concerned with the throwing rather 

 than with the manufacture of the raw material,' 

 cannot claim a lengthy record. It is chiefly 

 carried on at Sherborne, where the settlement 

 of silk throwsters dates, according to Hutchins, 

 from 1740, when, he states ' they erected mills 

 on Sir Thomas Lombe's plan.' ^ Sir Thomas 

 Lombe introduced into England from Savoy a 

 machine for working organzine, for which he 

 obtained a patent in 1718, and a reward of 

 ^^14,000 in 1732. Stalbridge and Cerne Abbas 

 were also engaged in the industry in the eighteenth 

 century,' 150 women and children findingemploy- 

 ment in spinning silk at the former town in 1 793-* 

 At both places the work consisted chiefly in 

 twisting and making up the raw silk into skeins.' 

 At this date no woven fabrics were actually 

 produced in London. The spun silk which was 



^' Claridge, j^^c. of Don. 37. 

 'Mbid. 38. '"Ibid. 



^' Ibid. 39. '» Ibid. 



'' Stevenson, ^gric. of Don. 447. 

 " Ibid. 448. *' Ibid. 



" Dowlas, coarse linen cloth ; Dillon, Fairholt's 

 Costume in Engl, ii, 150. 



" Stevenson, .^grk. of Don. 450. 

 "Pigot,Z)/>. (1823), 268. 



to form the warp and weft ot such fabrics was 

 prepared in silk-mills, all in country districts.' 



In 1823 all manufactures, except that of silk, 

 had ceased in Sherborne. John Gouger and 

 Thomas Willmott were then engaged in silk 

 throwing in the town.' From the evidence of 

 tlie last-named manufacturer, given before the 

 Select Committee on the silk trade in 1831, 

 interesting details may be gathered relative to 

 the conduct of the industry at that date. 

 Mr. Willmott was then the sole manufacturer 

 of silk in Sherborne, his mills being three in 

 number, one erected in 1751, and the others in 

 1 8 13, the power in all three cases being water,* 

 whilst the silk thrown at the mills, on commission, 

 was Italian tram and organzine.' The number 



" Ibid. 269. 



"Ibid. 274. 



" Paterson, RoaJs, 454. 



' Green, Rural Industries of Engl. 73. 



' Hutchins, Hist. Dors, ii, 366. 



' Stevenson, A^ic. of Dors. 448. 



* Claridge, jigric. of Dors. 39. 



' Stevenson, Agric. of Dors. 448. 



° Dodd, Days at the Factories, 4. 



'Pigot, /)/>.(! 82 3), 274. 



« Pari. Rep. Silk Trade (183 1), 278. 



' Ibid. 282. 



«Ibid. (1830), 273. 

 '' Ibid. 293. 



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