INDUSTRIES 



tentering of cloth. 11 Moreover, at Newport 

 Pagnell a fulling-mill had existed at one time, 

 but it had been converted into a grist mill before 

 1623. Weaving was still a trade of the town, 

 since George Fynnall, a weaver, gave evidence 

 about the mills at that date. u At High 

 Wycombe a fulling-mill, known as Gosham's 

 mill, was working at this time, and was in the 

 hands of a family of the name of Raunce. 13 

 Buckinghamshire sheep and rams were famous 

 throughout the I7th century, but more for their 

 size than their wool, 14 and the local cloth trade 

 seems to have gradually disappeared. Sacking 

 was also manufactured in the ijth century. 

 The paupers in the workhouse at Aylesbury 1 

 were mainly employed in spinning hemp. Their 

 yarn was either sold or sent to the weavers, and 

 afterwards the overseers of the poor sold the 

 manufactured article." Sacking was probably 

 made throughout the i8th century, but in 

 1831," only forty men were employed in 

 making mats and sacking. 



Silk-weaving was carried on in Buckingham- 

 shire for some years during the igth century. 

 A large mill was established at Tring in 1824 by 

 Mr. William Kaye of Tring Park. 18 It was first 

 worked by Mr. Joseph Kaye, but he afterwards 

 moved to Manchester. On his death the Lan- 

 cashire factory was given up and his manager 

 RobertNixon was thus thrown out of employment. 

 He determined to set up a silk-mill at Aylesbury 

 in connexion with the Tring mill and further, 

 made an agreement with the Aylesbury overseers, 

 who were in great need of employment for the 

 parish paupers in the workhouse. The numbers 

 there were rapidly increasing, and the decline of 

 the lace trade left the overseers with no means of 

 giving them work. The latter undertook to 

 build a silk factory on part of the workhouse 



" Exch. Dep. by Com. East. 10 Jas. I, no. 14. 



" Exch. Spec. Com. no. 3596. 



11 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Sr. 2), ccclxxxvi, no. 100. 



14 Fuller, Worthies of England (ed. Nuttall), 193. 



'* Aylcsbury Overseers' Acct w Ibid. 



17 Pop. Ret. 1831, i, 34. 



" Gibbs, Hiit, of AyUsburj, 624. 



premises in Oxford Road, and to spend 200 on 

 it, Nixon promising on his part not to employ 

 any hands but paupers chargeable on Aylesbury 

 parish. Forty looms were set up in 1830, but 

 probably women were employed for the most 

 part, since in 1831 " there were only 30 male 

 silk weavers in the county. The mill afterwards 

 passed into the hands of Messrs. Evans, who had 

 for many years worked the Tring mill. 10 

 They first bought part of the workhouse premises 

 in 1844, and in 1859, the original parish mill. 

 Soon afterwards 2OO hands, mostly girls, were 

 employed, and steam-power had been introduced. 

 In 1885 there were 70 steam looms at the Ayles- 

 bury mill. The actual weaving was the only 

 process carried on there, none of the earlier pro- 

 cesses being undertaken. 



Branches of the Tring and Aylesbury mill were 

 set up near the latter town. At Waddesdon a 

 mill was established in 1843. It stood in the 

 middle of the village, and in 1862 employed some 

 40 women, but only hand-looms were used. A 

 smaller mill was also worked at Whitchurch. 11 



Silk was manufactured at Wyrardisbury mill n 

 about the time that the Aylesbury mill was estab- 

 lished, while silk and shawl printing was carried on 

 at the neighbouring town of Horton. The latter 

 works were in the hands of Messrs. Tippets & Co., 

 who employed about 60 persons, but in 1859 a 

 decline of trade made them close their works, and 

 the buildings and stock were sold by auction. 



Cotton mills also existed in Buckinghamshire.^ 

 the close of the i8th century. At Iver and Tap- 

 low visitors were appointed by the justices of the 

 peace in 1802 under an Act of 42 Geo III to 

 inspect the cotton mills there. 88 At Amersham 

 another cotton factory was working in 1825 ; I4 it 

 employed many of the inhabitants but no cotton 

 weavers are returned in the census of 1831." 



"Pop. Ret. 1831, i, 34. 



" Gibbs, Hut. of Aylesburj, 624. 



" Sheahan, Hist, and Tofog. of Bucks. 429, 772. 



n Gyll, Hut. ofWrajsbury, 72, 198. 



** Quarter Sessions Records, 1802. 



" Pinnock, Hist, and Tofog. of Engl. i, 25. 



Pop. Ret. 1831,1,34. 



129 



'7 



