The woollen industry

Most places in Britain have had some connection with the woollen industry. For several hundred years it was Britain's principal source of wealth and provided more jobs than all the other industries put together. The country's fortunes were largely dependant on the wool trade, in which almost every family had a stake - from the spinster at her hand wheel to the merchant seeking foreign markets. Inn signs such as the Fleece and Ram remind us of the former importance of wool. So, too, do the splendid churches, mills and public buildings built by the successful entrepeneurs. The English language has been enriched by many phrases derived from the trade - 'dyed in the wool', 'spinning a yarn', 'on tenterhooks' - and many thousands of people owe their surnames to ancestors who were Websters, Weavers, Fullers, Tuckers, Walkers, Listers and so on. Mr. Aspin traces the story of wool in Britain from prehistoric times to the present day and uses many previously unpublished illustations to illuminate his story.