cloth trade

cloth trade development

• key to british econ

• steadily expanded as international econ boosted by factors eg colonisation + trade

  • imperial growth - more trade w continent brought new materials in, international market

  • ⭡ by Domestic system, new machinery/methods + immigration

• mid 1600s - importance ⭣ due to overproduction + intro of Spanish wool to European market

  • ⭣ prices

  • still remained important throughout century (made up high % of exports)

• employed approx 200,000 workers

domestic system

• subcontracting labour to ppl able to carry out work from home

• ⭡ productivity

  • everyone in fam cld help (division of labour), cld work while raising children

  • + free from tax/guild regulation, familiar skills

• village weavers began selling directly to customers - ⭡ econ security

immigration

• religious refugees

• dutch protestants - fled to england 1560s during cath Hapsburg rule

  • intro new draperies, worsted draperies + the frame knitting machine

  • c 13,000 working cloth industry England

• french protestants - fled to england to escape king Louis XIV

  • helped production of lighter fabrics

new methods intro by dutch protestants

• New Draperies - materials sent to Holland to be dyed for sale (v popular Europe)

  • developed alongside fashion - new interest in lighter more coloured materials (silk, cotton)

• Worsted Draperies - created cloth thru combing + weaving

  • produced cheap versatile material (popular)

  • helped british cloth trade appeal to wider market

• Frame Knitting Machine - ⭡ productivity, post restoration

  • weavers east London rioted against ⭡ mechanisation (feared losing jobs)