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

TEXTILESa mownte in the yere t o jMiijcxxxv! Also thatjciiijxx women . . ar hable to earne at lest somexijd., some xxd., and some ijs. vjd. a weeke."'This zest for teaching spinning was partly due tothe fact that the clothiers were represented on thelocal authorities, and often the extending of theirbusiness was hampered by the shortage of spinsters.But the flaw in all these arrangements was the factthat spinning remained in most cases a grant in aid,and could not, owing to the low wages paid, maintaina family, scarcely even an individual, on the levelof independence.Children could not live on 6d. a week, or grownwomen on IS. or IS. 8d. a week. And SO the women,when they depended wholly upon spinning flax fortheir living, became paupers, suffering the degradationand loss of power by malnutrition which that conditionimplies.In a few cases this unsatisfactory aspect of spinningwas perceived by those who were charged with relievingthe poor. Thus, when a workhouse was opened inBristol in 1654, the spinning scheme was soon abandonedas unprofitable.' Later, when girls were againtaught spinning, the managers of the school " soonfound that the great cause of begging did proceedfrom the low wages for Labour; for after abouteight months time our children could not get halfso much as we expended in their provisions. Themanufacturers . . . . were always complainingthe Yarn was spun couarse, but would not advanceabove eightpence per pound for spinning, and we musteither take this or have no work." Finally the Governortook pains therefore to teach them to producea finer yarn at 2s. to 3s. 6d. per pound. This paidbetter, and would have been more profitable still ifl Tingey, Nonoicb, Vol. 11, p. 355.' Latimcr, Annals of Bristol, p. 249.TEXTILES'35the girls as they grew older hdd not been sent toser~ice or put into the kitchen.'Thomas Firmin, after a prolonged effort to helpthe poor in London, came to a similar conclusion.He explains that " the Poor of this Parish, tho' many,are yet not so many as in some others ; yet, evenhere there are many poor people, who receive Flaxto spin, tho' thev are not all Pensioners to the Parish,nor, I hope, ever will be, it being my design to preventthat as much as may be ; . . . . there are above500 more out of other Parishes in and about theCity of London ; some of which do constantly followthis Employment, and others only when they haveno better; As, suppose a poor Woman that goesthree dayes a Week to Wash or Scoure abroad, or onethat is employed in Nurse-keeying three or fourMonths in a Year, or a poor Market-woman, whoattends three or four Mornings in a Week with herBasket, and all the rest of the time these folkshave little or nothing to do; but by means of thisspinning are not only kept within doors . . . .but made much more happy and chearf~l."~Firmin began his benevolent work in an optimisticspirit, " had you seen, as I have done many a time,with wKat joy and satisfaction, many Poor Peoplehave brought home their Work, and received theirmoney for it, you would think no Charity in the Worldlike unto it. Do not imagine that all the Pdor Peoplein England, are like unto those Vagrants you find upand down in the Streets. No, there are many Thousandswhose necessities are very great, and yet do whatthey ran by their Honest Labour to help themselves ;and many times they would do more than they dobut for want of Employment. Several that I havenow working to me do spin, some fifteen, some sixteen,-Cary,(John) Proceedzngs of Corporatzon ofBristo1, p. 13, 1700.' Flrrnin, Some Proposals, p. 19, 1678.