The story of textiles; a bird's-eye view of the history of the beginning and the growth of the industry by which mankind is clothed . sters to the numerous retinue ofslaves. If the materfamilias knew sufficiently well thearts of spinning and weaving to be able to organize in thehome a small factory of slaves engaged in such tasks, andknew how to direct and supervise them, to make them workwith zeal and without theft, she could provide the clothingfor the whole household, thus saving the heavy expenseof buying stuffs from a merchant,—notable economy intimes when money was scarce, and every fami
The story of textiles; a bird's-eye view of the history of the beginning and the growth of the industry by which mankind is clothed . sters to the numerous retinue ofslaves. If the materfamilias knew sufficiently well thearts of spinning and weaving to be able to organize in thehome a small factory of slaves engaged in such tasks, andknew how to direct and supervise them, to make them workwith zeal and without theft, she could provide the clothingfor the whole household, thus saving the heavy expenseof buying stuffs from a merchant,—notable economy intimes when money was scarce, and every family tried tomake as little use of it as possible. A mediaeval trace of the factory system may also be foundamong the silk throwsters in Italy, where craftsmen in theindustry congregated in certain localities. Although thebeginning of the factory system was an early specializationof parts of the industry in the hands of different persons,its growth and development were slow until the manu-facture of cotton became a leading industry, and the in-vention of the steam-engine and textile machinery so greatlyincreased the ANCIENT EGYPTIANS SPINNING AND WEAVING (From an old print) THE STORY OF TEXTILES 61 EARLIEST RECORD OF ENGLISH FACTORY The first industry of which there is any record in Englandthat might be called a factory system was run by JohnWinchcombe, popularly known as Jack of Newbury.*So famous did he become that he entertained Henry his first wife Catherine in his Newbury home. Winch-combe, who died in 1520, is described in Fullers Worthiesas the most considerable clothier without fancy or fictionEngland ever beheld. His looms were his lands, whereofhe kept one hundred in his house, each managed by a manand a boy. So great was the fame of his factory that it was describedin the following poetic lines written while his firm was stilla household word in fashionable London:— Within one room, being large and long,There stood two hundred looms full stron
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Keywords: ., bookauthorwaltonpe, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1912
