working life of women seventeenth century - School of Economics ...

I 10 TEXTILES TEXTILES I111693 to put down the middle man, was adirised againstby the Justices of Assize for Wiltshire, on the groundthat it was " likely to cause great reduction of wagesand employment to the spinners and the poor, and aloss to the growers of wool, and no advantage in thequality of t& yarn."The Tustices say in their report : " We finde themarket; spinner &ho setts many spinners on workespinnes not the falce yarn, but the poorer sorte ofpeople (who spinne theyr wool in theyr owne howses)for if the markett spinners who spinne greate quantitysand sell it in the markett should make bad yarne,they should thereby disable themselves to maynetaynetheyre creditt and livelyhood. And that the morespinners there are, the more cloth will be made and thebetter vent for Woolls (which is the staple commodityof the kingdome) and more poor will be set on worke.The markett spinners (as is conceived) are as well to beregulated by the lawe, for any falcity in mixing oftheyr woolles as the Clothier is, who is a great markettspinner himselfe and doth both make and sell as falceyarne as any market spinner . . . We finde themarkett spinner gives better wages than the Clothier,not for that reason the Clothier gives for the falcityof the yarne, but rather in that the markett spinnersvent much of their yarne to those that make thedyed and dressed clothes who give greater prizes thanthe white men do."'The fine yarn used by the Clothiers requiredconsiderable skill in spinning, and the demand for itwas so great in years of expansion that large sumsof money were paid to persons able to teach themysteriesof the craft in a new district. Thus the Earl ofSalisbury made an agreement in 1608 with WalterMorrell that he should instruct fifty persons of theparish of Hatfield, chosen by the Earl of Salisbury, inlS.P.D.,culiii., 23, July 23, 1633.the art of clothing, weaving, etc. He will providework for all these persons to avoid idleness and for theteaching of skill and knowledge in clothing will payfor the work at the current rates, except those who areapprentices. The Earl of Salisbury on his part willallow Walter Morrell a house rent free and will payhim LIOO per annum "for instructing the fifty persons,to be employed in :-the buying of wool, sorting it,picking it, dying it, combing it, both white andmingle colour worsted, weaving and warping andquilling both worsted of all sorts, dressing bothwoollen and stuffes, spinning woollen (wofe andwarpe), spinning all sortes of Kersey both highwheel and low wheel, knitting both woollen andworsted."lA similar agreement is recorded in 1661-2 betweenthe Bailiffs and Burgesses of Aldeburgh and " EdmundBuxton of Stowmarket, for his coming to set up histrade of spinning wool in the town and to employ thepoor therein, paying him Lso-for 5 years and LI~forexpense of removing, with a house rent free and thefreedom of the town."=The finest thread was produced on the distaff, butthis was a slow process, and for commoner workspinning wheels were in habitual use -" There are, to speed their labor, who prefer'. Wheels double spol'd, which yield to either hand" A sev'ral line ; and many, yet adhere" T o th' ancient distaff, at the bosom fix'd," Carting the whirling spindle as they walk."3The demands made on spinning by this ever expandingtrade were supplied from three sources : (I) the wivesof farmtrs and other well to do people, (b) the wives ofhusbandmen and (c) women who depended wholly-'S.P.D., xxxviii., 72, 73, Dec. 1608.'Htst. MSS. Corn. Var. Coll., Vol. IV , p 31 r.a Dyer John., Pbe Rlecce, 1757.