OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3764, 4 May 1926, Page 14

OUR YORKSHIRE LETTER.

; SHEEP AND WOOL HISTORY. [(From Our Special Correspondent.) BRADFORD, February 25. The writer has lately been delving into ancient wool loro, and is amazed with the attention that was giveu to the subject nearly one thousand years ago. During the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries wool seems to have ranked as by far the most important trade in Great Britain. At that time it was all hand manipulation, qnd the spinning and weaving of English wool was by no means confined to any one county, it being ater that wool manufacture began to settle and take definite shape in the district where it is now largely practised. These thoughts arise from the fact that the writer is at present engaged in broadcasting four talks on wool from the Leeds-Bradfurd station, and the subject has created an immense amount of interest. Let us look at one or two salient points, in which even colonial pastoraljsts and the trade generally cannot but fail to be interested. AN INTERESTING RECORD. It would amaze the reader if he knew % twentieth part of tta laws that were passed during the cemui ies named to regulate the British wool trade. The seventeenth century stands out as perhaps the most important on this head. Some strange things happened, but apparently, from the different laws passed, Parliament was determined to do its utmost to preserve the British wool trade and the manufacturers thereof. Apparently at that time there was a considerable trade done between England, as well M Belgium, Holland, and Northern

France. For instance, in 1656, urging the preservation of the British wool trade, a Mr W. S. Gent, writing in that year, said that “there is nothing in this flourishing nation of England so universally good and beneficial to the people thereof as is the conversion of wool into its several manufactures. Wool is the flower and strength, the revenue and blood of England. The wools of England have been of very great honour and reception abroad, as hath been sufficiently witnessed by the constant amity which for many hundred years hath been inviolably maintained between the Kings of England and the Dukes of Burgundy, only for the benefit of wool; whose subjects receiving English wool at 6d per lb returned it in cloth at 10s a yard.” The above shows that even the exportation of wool must have been a very, good thing for those working up same across the English Channel, and from that day to this French manufacturers ' ve enjoyed a very good aiarket here in England. To-day there is every prospect of the present Government imposing 33 1-3 per cent, duty on wool goods imported from the Continent, this being solely to offset the unnatural advantages which France particularly is enjoying on account of her depreciated currency and the sensibly less wages which her manufacturers are paying their operatives. But what we want to point out is that France for the past 300 year* has enjoyed the privileges of shipping its manufactures to England without let or hindrance, and this shows conclusively that it is no modern development the sending of its dress goods into this country. It must have been a very lucrative job for the subjects under the Dukes of Burgundy to take British wool, work same into cloth, and then to send it back to Engltnd at anything approaching 10s a yard. Whether the cloth would be narrow or broad width (that is, 27in or 54in wide) it is not stated —probably tlie latter; but in any case the wages then paid and the low price, of the wool to start with must have meant a fat thing to French weavers. FINENESS OF ENGLISH WOOLS. A very interesting fact comes out in a record that deals expressly with the character of English wool in 1656. Of course, the standard of fineness then in_vogue would be very different to what it is today; but Spanish wools, we have reason for saying, must have been largely used in France and also in England. The writer we have already quoted, in enforc-

ing his argument regarding the preservation of English wool for English weavers, says that “the wools of England are superlative to all the world for fineness, except that of Spanish, which neither by itself nor by incorporation with the wools of any other nation will be wrought into any cloth without the help and mixture of English wools; which, being carded together (as by the English clothiers they are), they produce the richest manufacture in clothing which the whole world can show.” This is a very great testimony to the quality of British wools 300 years ago, and we are glacl that at that distant date in English history our home wools were greatly appreciated. Then the writer goes on to mention the fact that not only was raw wool exported in big quantities, but Fuller's earth, an article that was then largely used in t he scouring of cloth. This is perfectly true, because Fuller’s ea.th as a scouring agent was in vogue even 50 years ago, and not 20 years ago pig manure was largely used for the purpose of milling cloth, particularly army goods. This may sound very strange, but it is an absolute fact, as the writer can vouch. We could easily point to one very important mill, where for the past 50 j r ears British Government army cloths have been made, continuously, and up to quite recent times pig manure was an important milling agent in conjunction with soap. W. S. Gent goes on to point out that during the reign of King Edward 111 statutes were passed “to prohibit the exportation of raw wool, white cloths, and Fullers earth under the penalty of the exporter losing his life or limb at the King’s pleasure, which of them he won I ' please to take.” Here we have some very interesting ancient history, which all goes to emphasise the quality of British-grown w ’, an item that clearly points to the fact that here in England at that time there must have been some excellent sheep. ENGLAND STILL THE HOME OF STUD STOCK. What relation do the above facts bear to the British sheep and wool industry of to-day 0 We say that out of the past the present takes definite shape, and all the nations of the world have looked to Great Britain for new blood, which certainly has all helped to maintain and develop overseas flocks. England to-day can still boast of possessing some excellent sheep, there being no fewer than all round 28 pure breeds. In other words, the fancy of colonial and South American

sheep breeders can be easily accommodated; but it is a fact that the merino still stands paramount in the estimation of the sheep breeders of the world, followed by some good crossbreds, which are the result of crossing the merino ewe with English long-woolled sires. The great sheep stocks of the world naturally to-day div.'de themselves into merinos and crossbreds, and whatever breed of sheep can be classed under the last category, no doubt British wool has played an important part in bringing this about. British blood has been drawn upon very largely because of * 3 general usefulness of the sheep, both when viewed from a mutton and fleece standpoint. It would indeed be interesting if we could ascertain the class of sheep that were then in vogue. We think that the names of the different breeds of sheep originated in the localities where they were largely pastured. For instance, the famous Leicester sheep are named because Robert Bakewell lived in Leicester. The term Southdown originated from the fact that sheep were bred and pastured on the Downs. The same with Scotch Blackfaced, Lincolns, and every other British breed of sheep.