| Wales-New Zealand Family History Society a.k.a. WANZ |
WOOLLEN - where is it?
About Woollen
Woollen Family Names 1811 - Woollen occupations Burial of a Shepherd Poem "The Fleece" Believe it not My forebears were buried in
Woollen .................. where can I find Woollen?
A common question for
genealogists!
About Woollen An act was passed in 1667 and 1678. "No corps should be burying in anything
other than what is made of sheep's wool only; or put into any coffin
lined or faced with any material but sheep's wool, on pain of
forteiture of £5." With the exception of those who died
from the Plague."
By 1814 the Acts were repealed. In addition an affidavit to that effect was required not later than 8 days after the burial. Lanatus - clothed in wool; buried in woollen. Naked - this was a note made in the burial register when the body was unshrouded and the coffin was unlined. This was often the case with the poor who could not afford the fine for burying the dead in anything other than wool. The European textile markets
depended upon the supply of raw wool. In Britain this was a
cottage industry, sheep farmers and cottagers each doing their small
part. The importance of wool is reflected in the presence of the
Woolsack upon which the Lord Chancellor in Parliament sits. It
was introduced by King Edward III, 1327-77 and was stuffed with English
wool as a reminder of England's traditional source of wealth - the wool
trade.
A rise in the price of wool in the sixteenth century, became important, as sheep were well suited to the pasture of Welsh hillsides. Welsh woollen cloth was regarded as coarse and inferior, a reflection of a cottage-based industry. But English cloth merchants attended Welsh fairs for the purchase of wool and cloth which they conveyed to English centres for further working. Many of the bigger homesteads
had their looms and weaving sheds, whilst the poorest cottage had
hand-cards and spinning wheel. Women learnt to knit ' as soon as
they could talk", and finished a whole stocking a day. According
to one authority: "Every pennyworth of wool was converted into a
shilling". As much as half-a-guinea was paid for a pair of hose made
from the soft wool of Merionethshire. Factories were set up in
such towns as Dolgelley in the valley of Mawddach, and Machynlleth and
Llanbrynmair in the vale of Dovey. The industry was located in
areas where water-power could be harnessed and between 1800 and 1830,
many spinning and weaving factories were established, particularly in
the Severn valley, an area which was linked with canal system of the
kingdom in 1821.
The Welsh economy was profiting increasingly from maritime trade with the rest of the world. Instead of transporting the wool to England, flannel and other woollen goods were exported from the ports of Wales, largely to America. There, they were used to clothe soldiers and slaves. Successive monarchs taxed the wool trade, especially when they had special need for added revenue, such as in times of ware. In 1340, 30,000 sacks of wool were granted to King Edward III to support the French war. Wool was made up into bales and
half-bales, a full bale consisting of 110 yards. The warp of the
product was made of the fleece wool of the country, and the woof, was
mixture of the same material with from 30% to 50% of lamb's wool.
It was made entirely on handlooms. As a rule, the clip was sold
in its rough unbleached state, and sent elsewhere for bleaching and
fulling. About 1780, fulling-mills were established in the
neighbourhood - which accounts for the presence of so many 'pandys' in
the vicinity, and it became customary to hand the products for
bleaching on wooden trellises or 'tenters' as they were called, which
were a common feature of the countryside.
Sources: The History of Wales, J. Graham
Jones
Brief Glory - The Story of a Quest, D.W. Morgan A History of Wales, John Davies The Story of Two parishes, Dolgelley & Llanelltyd, T.P. Ellis http://www.rothbury.com http://www.somersetlarders.com http://footguards.tripod.com/06ARTICLES/ART31_woolindustry.htm Shepherd - tended the sheep
Pack / Packer / Packman and Lane / Laney / Lanier - transported the fleeces Stapler / Staples - bought the raw wool Card / Carder, Tozer / Towzer, Kemp / Kemper / Kempster (= combe) combed the wool Dyer, Littester / Lister - dyed the wool Webb Webber / Webster (German:Weber) - wove the fabric Fuller, Tuck / Tucker / Tuckerman - fulled the fabric to create a nap Shears, Sharman / Shearman - used shears to remove the nap from woollen cloth to produce finer qualities of fabric Clothier, Draper - prepared the woollen cloth and sold it to the tailors Taylor. Cutter - made the wool into garments. There are also place names based on wool that have become family names" Woolley, Wolsey Shipley, Shepley Sheppey, Shepperton Shefford / Shifford Shipton, Shepton - (sheep-lead, sheep-town) top
1811 Woollen Occupations Holdens Directory 1811, some references to occupations related to the woollen industry. Bridgend - a Woollen manufacturory establishment here.......... Builth - Thomas WOOSTNAM - skinner and woolstapler Caerphilly, Glamorgan - The principal manufactories are woollen and iron goods. Evan JAMES - woollen mfg & weaver Thomas WILLIAMS - woollen mfg & weaver William WILLIAMS - woollen mfg & dyer Cardiff - John TOWNSEND - worsted mfg. Carmarthen - David DAVIES - mfg woollen Dolgelly - Manufacturers coarse woollen cloth David GRIFFITH, John HOWELL, Robert JONES, William JONES, Griffith JONES, Rees LEWIS, Evan OWENS, Robert OWENS Knighton, Radnorshire - Edward MORGAN - wool stapler Llandaff, Glamorgan - John HILL Llanidloes, Montgomery - Considerable manufactories of flannels & woollen John MARPOTE - wool card mfg & flannel mfg Llandyllins, Montgomery - Flannel mfg Machynlleth, Montgomery - The principal manufactories are woollen goods John JONES - drover and famer Owen JONES, John PUGH, John HUGHES, Arthur WILLIAMS - woollen mfg's Neath - Phillip JONES & Co. - woollen mfg. Presteign, Radnor - John GRIFFITHS - woollen mfg. Wrexham, Denbigh - Richard LLOYD - woollen merchant, Chester Street top Burial of a Shepherd It is said that at one time
there was a certain ritual adhered to when shepherds departed from this
world. These keepers of the flock had conscientiously cared for
their sheep for seven days a week and for such devotion had received a
meagre wage. They had very little opportunity of attending
church. Being a stout hearted breed, they were out all year round
on the hills. To jog the Almighty's memory that they even existed, a
custom was employed which was meant to excuse their absence from
church. A reminder was placed on a dead shepherd's chest before
his coffin lid was finally sealed prior to burial - a clipping of
sheep's wool. It was a gentle reminder that the body had been so
hard at work all year and every year, caring for his flock, that he had
not opportunity to attend church.
Source: http://www.findonvillage.com top The Fleece Dyer, an English poet, who wrote "the Fleece" in the year 1757, says: From one-wheel spinning And
many yet adhere
To the ancient distaff at the bosom fixed, Casting the whirling spindle as they walk; At home, or in the sheepfold, or the mart, Alike the work proceeds. To a new invented machine for the spinning of wool in a manner entirely new. But
patient art,
That on experience works from hour to hour, Sagacious, has a spiral engine form'd, Which on an hundred spoles, an hundred threads, With one huge wheel, by lapse of water, twines, Few hands requiring' easy tended work, That copiously supplies the greedy loom. Source:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mossvalley/
Believe it or not Miscellaneous 'facts' about Wool English wool (which included
Welsh wool) was sold to the most skilled weavers in Europe (the
Flemish) and the resulting yarn used for a number of purposes not
necessarily connected with textiles.
Source: - http://oii.org/cyberu/ One pound of wool can be spun into 20 miles of yarn A perfectly preserved woollen sock was found buried in silt on the banks of a river in England. The sock is estimated to be 1,000 years old. |
Woollen
URL: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~nzwlsfhs/