History of the Wool trade in the UK
In the House of Lords, there is a particular seat. It is called the Woolsack. And it is where the speaker of the House sits. It’s not a great seat, being a simple sack of comfy wool wrapped in a deep red cloth covering. Such a seat was made to illustrate the great importance of the wool trade to England’s economy. Whilst Wool is not as important as it once was, how did this resource grow to be such an essential part of the economy?
Sheep are beneficial creatures. All through their lives, they provide assistance to us as humans. They can be a source of protein, or if the farmers take on a long-view approach, they can be maintained and farmed for wool (and then subsequently used for protein near the end of their lives).
English sheep were one of the hardest in Europe. They were also easy to farm and maintain in regions where crop growth was difficult. Highland and Moorland areas such as Yorkshire, Devon and Cornwall, Wales and Scotland were able to convert the lush pasturelands over to the farming of sheep. The development of shears meant that removing the animal’s fluffy pelt in the springtime produced excellent yields. However, the wool preparation was not the most pleasant of jobs. The Fuller’s role was to douse the pelts in urine and then spend the rest of the day stamping on them to create a softer material.
However, it wasn’t woolly jumpers that the foreign markets wanted. Even if the wool had been used in some Knitting Kits, like those from Wool Couture, the Belgian and Dutch weaving powerhouses wanted the raw wool to make cloth for their looms. So they were prepared to buy huge sums. With this income, the country began to see significant economic growth.
When James the first of England/Sixth of Scotland came to power, sheep and wool were again thrust to the forefront. Lairds in the Highlands were suddenly faced with the expense of an English court, not a Scottish one. The cost was immense, and they needed ways to generate income or else lose face with their King. The answer was to convert the broad areas of the Highlands and Islands over to sheep farming. This was more profitable than the tenant farmers, so they were “cleared” from the land over the next 100 years, which is why the Highlands is so sparsely populated today.
