WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE. 



Philip and Mary, an aft in 53 fedions was paffed, relating wool, or combing-wool, was more the peculiar produce of 



to the making of woollen cloths. It enafts, that no perfon England than clothing-wools. The latter were era 



ftiall make woollen cloth but only in a market-town, where abundance, and of a fuperior quahty in Soain P rt 1 



cloth hath commonly been ufed to be made for the fpace of and France ; but the combing-wooU of England 'on acc"cf t 



; ten years lad paft, or in a city, borough, or town cor- of the fuperior foundnefs of the ftaple or fibre and the 



porate. From this reftrifting aft, however, the following quantity fupplied, gave a decided advantage to our manu- 



exceptions are made : to all perfons who dwell in North fafturers of ftuffs or worfted pieces. 



Wales or South Wales, Chefhire, Lancafhire, Weftmoreland, The perfecution of the Proteftants by the duke of Alva 



Cumberland, Northumberland, the bilhopric "of Durham, in the Netherlands drove multitudes of the manufafturer 



iCornwall, Suffolk, Kent, the town of Godalmin in Surrey, into England, where they were gracioufly received by Eli- 



or in Yorkrtiire, being not within twelve miles of the city zabeth, who gave them liberty to fettle at Norwich Col- 



of York, or any towns or villages near the river Stroud in chefter. Sandwich, Maiditone, and Southampton. Thefe 



Gloucefterfhire. This aft, fo abfurd and opprefTive, was refugees contributed to extend our manufaftures of worfted 



obliged to be modified in the firft year of th^ following goods and light woollens, called bays and fays ; theyalfoin- 



ireign, by an aft entitled " An Aft for the continuing and troduced the manufafture of linens and filks, and it is fupl 



making of Woollen Cloths in divers Towns in the County pofed that they firft taught the art of weaving on the ftock- 



of Eflex." Bocking, Watherfold, Cockfliill, and Dodham, ing-frame. 



<o: 



'are the towns fpecified. In the latter part of the reign of Elizabeth an aft was paffed 



I In confequence of the increafe of our manufaftures, the to relieve the counties of Somerfet, Gloucefter, and Wiltfhire 

 export of wool had nearly ceafed before the reign of Ehza- from thofe abfurd and oppreffive ftatutes which confined the 

 beth ; and a confiderable advance appears to have taken making of cloth to corporate towns. This aft, which jrave 

 place in the price of food, clothing, and rents. The ex- to all perfons refiding in thefe counties the privileges ofTree 

 :port trade of England was carried on very extenfively by trade, could not fail to extend and eftablifh the woollen ma- 

 chree companies of merchants, the merchants of the Still- nufaftures in thefe parts, and they have remained to the pre- 

 yard, who were foreigners, the merchants of the Staple, fent time the principal feats of the fuperfine cloth trade 

 ind the merchant adventurers, who were Englifh. See whilft many manufafturing corporate towns, which were 

 Stillyard, Staple, and Adventurers. then flourifhing, have funk to decay. Various afts, regu- 



The merchants of the Stillyard were of ancient ftanding, lating the length, breadth, and tentering of woollen' goods 

 lind were originally from the Hanfe towns: they had great of different kmds, were alfo paffed in this reign, referring to 

 jarivileges granted them, and particularly they were allowed the counties of Oxfordfhire, Devon, and the co'unties north 

 i'.o export and import all wares and merchandize, on pay- of Trent, particularly Yorkfhire and Lancafhire. The im- 

 Inent of the fmall duty of one and a quarter per cent. This portation of foreign wool-cards was alfo prohibited. The 

 i;ave them a decided advantage over the other companies ; aft recites, that many thoufands of woollen card-makers and 

 md it is alleged that they lent their name to cover the im- card-wire drawers, living in London, Briflol, Gloucefter 

 port and export of goods belonging to private merchants, Norwich, Coventry, and elfewhere, had heretofore fubfifted 

 ind thereby evaded the regular duties on fuch goods. This themfelves and families upon that bufinefs, which was now 

 pompany had engroffed a confiderable part of the cloth greatly impaired by the importation of wool-cards. No 

 irade. In the year 1551 they exported 44,000 cloths; laws prohibiting the export of wool were thought neccfl'ary 

 ;bon after which this company was diifolved. The mer- in this period of our hiflory, and it continued to be exported 

 ;:hant adventurers fucceeded to that branch of their trade : during the whole of this reign, as appears by the account 

 Jccording to the account of John Wheeler, fecretary to of the merchant adventurers, who exported it together with 

 jhe company, there were annually ftiipped by them cloth ; but though wool was freely exported, an aft was 

 )0,ooo white cloths, worth 600,000/., and 40,000 cloths paffed to prevent the carrying of live fheep, lambs, or rams 

 i)f all forts, baizes and kerfies, worth 400,000/., befides out of England ; but the reafons for this aft are not recited 

 yool and woolfels. We are told by Camden, that, in though it ftates it was for divers good caufes and confidera- 

 Ihis reign, the commerce between England and the Nether- tions. The internal tranquillity that the country enjoyed 

 ,ands rofe to above twelve millions yearly, and the woollen during this long reign, the influx of foreign makers of new 

 irade alone amounted to five millions. The Latin terms kinds of worfteJs, and other articles not known before 

 Vhich Camden employs, mllliones aureorum, leaves the the opening of a new trade to Turkey and the Barbary 

 imount intended uncertain : if we fuppofe it to be ducats, ftates, by treaty in the year 1579 ^""^ '" ' J^5> ^ll greatly 

 ihe quantity is much greater than England exported at that contributed to the extenfion of the woollen trade and manu- 

 lime ; probably florins were intended, which makes the faftures. There were indeed other circumftances which muft 

 imount about 750,000/. have operated againft our manufafturers in part of this 



; Befides the exports to Antwerp, Englifh cloth was at reign. The interruption of commerce between England and 

 his time fent to Amllerdam, Hamburgh, Sweden, Ruflia, the Netherlands in 1564, which lafted fome time, the wars 

 imd other countries. The woollen trade of England had with Spain, the lacking of Antwerp, in which the Englifh 

 iiow advanced to a higher ftate of profperity than at any merchants fuffered leverely, gave a confiderable check to the 

 Ibrmer period ; and from this time it appears to have de- foreign trade ; yet we have feen that the merchant adventurers 

 '.lined until after the revolution of i668. In this reign, alone exported woollens to the amount of one million fterling 

 he price of wool, which we believe to mean long or comb- towards the latter end of this reign. The demand at home 

 ing wool, had advanced from 13^. 4^. to 22s. per tod ; and for woollens muft alfo have greatly increafed during the long 

 ;he fhilling containing the fame weight of filver as our late period of domeftic tranquillity which the nation at that time 

 ::oinage, wz. 86 grains, the relative value of a tod of long enjoyed, and particularly from the prevailing tafte for coftly 

 Ivool was confiderably more than it has ever been during ,the drefTes which has fpread from the court througli the country, 

 iirefent reign. A great part of our woollen exports hitherto confifted of 



i The declenfion of our manufaftures in the fucceeding white undrefTed cloth ; but in the following reign of James I. 

 [eigns of the Stuarts, as we have reafon to believe, extended it was reprefented as bad policy to permit the exportation 

 :iuch more to woollen cloths than to worfted pieces. Long of cloth in this ftate, and thereby lofe the profit on the 

 ; Vol. XXXVIII. 4 N dyeing 



