INDUSTRIES 





years later Sir Edmund Verncy, 8 at Claydon, 

 writes that one of his men had given him some 

 very good lace made by his daughter. She re- 

 ceived a guinea, and the lace was made into a 

 cravat of the latest fashion. 



The greatest time of prosperity in the indus- 

 try came, however, in the i8th century, when 

 bone-lace was in great demand. The Spectator, 

 when deploring the extravagance of women in 

 their head-dresses,' speaks of ' childish Gewgaws, 

 Ribbands and bone-lace.' In 1717 the lace- 

 makers on a large scale, living at Wycombe and 

 in that neighbourhood, petitioned against a de- 

 cision which forced them to take out licences as 

 petty chapmen or hawkers. 10 One of the chief 

 of these lace-makers was Ferdinando Shrimpton 

 of Penn, who was eight times Mayor of Chep- 

 ping Wycombe. 11 He and other men of his 

 class kept several hundred workers constantly 

 employed. 11 They went weekly to London, 

 generally on a Monday, and sold their goods to 

 the London milliners at the lace markets held at 

 the George Inn, Aldersgate Street, or in the Bull 

 and Mouth Inn in St. Martin's by Aldersgate. 

 They returned with a stock of thread and silk, 

 which they gave out to their workwomen to be 

 made up according to their orders. 13 In the 

 northern part of the county Newport Pagnell 

 was a sort of staple town for bone-lace, 14 and it 

 was said to produce more lace than any other 

 town in the country. 18 A lace-market was held 

 every Wednesday at which great quantities were 

 sold. Lace-buyers also came round from the 

 London houses about once a month, meeting the 

 lace-makers at some inn, such as the ' Nagg's 

 Head ' at Thame, and there buying their stock. 18 



The Anti-Gallican Society some years before 

 had awarded its first prize for lace shown by 

 Mr. William Marriott, of Newport Pagnell, 17 

 and in 1761 Earl Temple, the Lord Lieutenant 

 of Buckinghamshire, presented the king, on 

 behalf of the lace-makers, with a pair of fine 

 lace ruffles, made at the same town. 18 



Aylesbury was also noted for the fine quality 

 of the lace made there. 1 * In the i8th century 

 the women in the workhouse were employed in 

 lace-making instead of spinning.* In 1784 the 

 overseers entered two cloths for lace-pillows in 

 their accounts ; " in the same year they paid \d. 



' Memoirs of tht ferney Family, iv, 2 1 3. 



' The Spectator, no. 98. 



" Treasury Papers, ccviii, 47. 



" Langley, Hist, of the Hun,/, of Deshorough. 



" Treainry Papers, ccviii, 47. 



11 Pinnock, Hist, and Topog. of Engl. i, 3 1 . 



" Defoe, Tour through Great Britain (1778), ii, 173. 



11 Bull, Hilt, of Newport Pagnell, 17. 



" W. Shrimpton, Notes on a decayed Needle-land, 25. 



" Mrs. Bury Palliscr, Hist, of Lace (1902), 380. 



" Ibid. 



" Defoe, Tour through Great Britain (1778), ii, 173. 



10 Aylesbury Overseers' Accounts. " Ibid. 



to ' four girls cutting off,' and on another occasion 

 Mary Slade received 31. yd. to set up lace- 

 making.** Lace played a prominent part also 

 in the Parliamentary elections for the borough. 13 

 No candidate could hope to be successful if he 

 did not promise to uphold the bone-lace in- 

 dustry and denounce the machine-made lace of 

 Nottingham. A lace-pillow was mounted on a 

 pole and carried at the head of processions, and 

 banners were hung with Aylesbury lace, for 

 which enormous prices were paid. 



The lace trade flourished in the early part of the 

 1 9th century, and its extent is well illustrated by 

 the village of Hanslope.** In 1801, 500 people 

 out of a population of 1,275 were employed in 

 lace-making, and both men and women made it 

 their regular employment. No women's labour 

 for agricultural work could be obtained in the 

 county ** owing to the good wages they were 

 paid for lace-making. 



The decline came very quickly after the close 

 of the French wars. The introduction of 

 machine-made lace about 1835 ** and the effects 

 of free trade gradually killed the industry." The 

 quality of the lace made fell off, and in spite of 

 temporary revivals the trade proper became ex- 

 tinct about I884.* 8 The industry, however, 

 lingered on in many parts of the county, and of 

 late years a great effort has been made to bring 

 about a revival. The North Bucks Lace 

 Association was formed in 1897, and is the 

 largest association of the kind. It aims not only 

 at reviving old patterns and improving the quality 

 of the lace made, but also at securing a better 

 price than the workers can obtain for themselves. 

 In other parts of the county various people have 

 interested themselves in the industry, and very 

 beautiful lace is now made, such as the lace in 

 Hughenden Church. 



In the south of the county other trades, 

 especially chair-making, afford both an easier and 

 at the same time a better paid occupation for 

 the women, so that there is less lace-making than 

 round Buckingham and Newport Pagnell. 



Another difficulty in the way of the revival of 

 the industry is the length of time taken in learn- 

 ing to make lace. It seems probable that after 

 the present generation of workers has passed 

 away no fine, wide lace will be made any more 

 with the object of earning a livelihood. Chil- 

 dren, in order to become expert workers, must 

 begin very young and work more hours a day 

 than is possible whilst they are attending school. 



In the flourishing days of the industry there 

 were hardly any schools except lace-schools in 



" Ibid. " Gibbs, Hut. of Ajksburj, 62 I . 



** Lysons, Magna Brit, i, 482. 



" St. John Priet, Gen. Clew of Agric. of Burks. 



346. 



" Bull, Hist, of Newport Pagnell, 196. 

 " Palliser, Hist, of Lace (1902), 393. 

 " Bull, Hist, of Newport Pagnell, 196. 



107 



