WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE. 



gave the name to the flcein of worded, which is to this day 

 called a hank. 



The references which we have foon afterwards to the 

 woollen manufafture, as exifting in the diftrifts before- 

 named, tend to confirm the belief, that the diftribution of 

 the foreign manufafturers we have given is corredl. About 

 this time, we learn that Thomas Blanket, and other inhabit- 

 ants of Briftol, fet up looms in their own houfes, but were 

 fo harafled by the impofitions of the mayor and baihffs of 

 the place, that they were obliged to obtain letters from the 

 king to permit the free ufe of their trade, without impedi- 

 ment, calumny, or exaftion. The letter to the mayor and 

 bailiffs accufes them in the following terms : " vos diverfas 

 pecunii fummas ab eifdem Thomas et aliis exigitis et ea 

 occaCone multipliciter inquietatis et gravatis, ut afferunt." 

 Dr. Parry has conjeftured, that blanket, which at firft meant 

 a coarfe white undreffed cloth, derived its name from the 

 fame Thomas Blanket of Briftol. The encouragement 

 given to the woollen manufafturers during this reign, and 

 the confequent confumption of wool at home, diminifhed 

 the export of it fo much, that a duty was laid on cloth ex- 

 ported to fupply the place. Blackwell-hall was appointed 

 by the mayor and common council of London for the 

 market, where cloth manufafturers might fend their goods 

 for fale, in the year 1357. 



In the courfe of the reign we find feveral other afts re- 

 lating to the meafurement and fulling of cloth, and the fees 

 to be paid to the aulnager. 



In order to form a more diftinft idea of the relative value 

 of wool, cloth, and other articles, after and before the reign, 

 it may be proper to refer to the ftate of the filver coinage. 



Grains. 



The 28 Edward I. one fhilling contained 264 ' 



l8 Edward III 236 



27 Edward III 213 



9 Henry V. .... 176 



I Henry VI 142 



4 Henry VI 176 



49 Henry VI 142 



1 Henry VIII 118 



34 Henry VIII. . . - - 100 



36 Henry VIII. - ... 60 



37 Henry VIII 40 



3 Edward VI. .... 40 



5 Edward VI 20 



6 Edward VI 88 



2 Elizabeth .... 89 

 43 EUzabeth .... 86 



at which it continued to the prefent reign. 



The following account of the exports and imports in the 

 28th of Edward III., faid to be found in a record of the 

 exchequer, was publifhed by Edward Miffeldon, merchant, 

 in the year 1623. 



Exports. £ s. d. 



Thirty-one thoufand fix hundred andfifty-1 



one facks and a half of wool, at fix > 189,909 o o 



pounds value each fack, amount to -J 

 Three thoufand thirty -fix hundred and! 



fixty-five felts at 40^. value, each hun- J- 6,073 ' ^ 



dred at fix fcore, amount to • -J 

 Whereof the cuftom amounts to - - 81,624 i i 

 Fourteen laft, feventeen dicker, and five"! 



hides of leather, after fix pounds value K 89 5 o 



the laft, amount to . . - . j 

 Whereof the cuftom amounts to . . 6176 



Brought forward 

 Four thoufand feven hundred and feventy 



foui- cloths and a half, after 40J. v " 



the cloth, is 

 Eight thoufand and fixty-one pieces and a 



halfof - - ----- 



piece. 

 Whereof the cuftom amounts to 



£ X. d. 



^11^102 5 3 



,549 o o 



nty.T 



alue \ 9,< 



ht thoufand and fixty-one pieces and aT 



alf of worfted, after 16/. 8^. value the > 6,717 18 4 



iece, is .... .J 



Imports. 



One thoufand eight hundred and thirty-T 



two cloths, after fix pounds value the > 10,922 o 



cloth J 



Whereof the cuftom amounts to - - 91 12 



Three hundred and ninety-feven quintals'! 



and three quarters of wax, after the > 795 10 

 value of 40X. the hundred or quintal . j 

 Whereof the cuftom is - - - 19 '7 



One thoufand eight hundred and twenty- T 



nine tons and a half of wine, after 40X. > 31659 o 

 per ton - - . . . - j 



Whereof the cuftom is . . - 182 o 



Linen cloth, mercury, and grocery-wares, "l ^ 



and all other manner of merchandize -J *' ^ 

 Whereof the cuftom is ... 285 18 



215 13 7 



Summary of the out.carried commodities') „ I 



in value and cuftom - - .| 294.i»4 i? 2{ 



Carried forward 



277»702 J 3 



Summary of the m-brought commodities,! „ 



1 J A • T 38,070 13 3 



in value and cultom, is . - .jJ'" jj 



Summary of the impulfage of the out-T 



carried above the in-brought commo- > 255,214 3 11 



dities, amounteth to - - . .J 



Admitting the correftnefs of this ftatement, which we 

 have no reafon to doubt, we muft obferve, that the cloth 

 imported was of a higher value /fr yard than the cloth ex- 

 ported. Hence it may be inferred, that for feveral years '. 

 after the arrival of the Flemifh weavers, we were partly 

 dependent on foreigners for our fine cloths ; the coarfer 

 kinds then, as at the prefent day, forming the larger quan- 

 tity of our exports. It is obvious alfo, that worfted goods 

 had become an article of manufafture, nearly equal in im- 

 portance with the woollen ; and hence it is not impro- 

 bable, that the greater part of the Flemiih manufafturers 

 were makers of ftufFs and worfted goods, which was pro- 

 bably an entirely new trade in England. 



The ftatutes in the following reigns, relating to the 

 woollen manufafture, prove the narrow and felfilh policy . 

 by which the manufafturers were influenced : thefe ftatutes j 

 refer either to reftriftions which they wanted to impofe, 

 in order to confine the trade to themfelves, or are made 

 to prevent them from fraudulently packing or weaving 

 their goods. In confequence of thefe fraudulent praftices, 

 the 13th ftatute of Richard II. makes the following regu- 

 lations, which are curious, as marking the fpirit of the 

 manufafturers, and alfo as proving the early eftablifhment 

 of the woollen trade in the weftern counties, where it now 

 flourilhes. It runs thus : " Forafmuch as divers plain 

 cloths, wrought in the counties of Somerfet, Dorfet, Briftol, 

 and Gloucefter, be tacked and folded together for fale ; of 

 which cloths a greater part be broken, bruifed, and not 

 agreeing in the colour, neither according to the breadth, nor 

 in no manner to the pai-t of the fame cloths fhewed outwards, 

 but falfely wrought with divers wools, to the great lofs and 



damage 



