Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1850-08-28
STAUNTON VA, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1901
, or THE WORD. BLANKET, woRsrED,


KERsEYMERE AND LINsEY WoLsEy.--While Ed
ward Ill.,, in 1897, repeated his invasion of Scotland
and rayaged the country with great iury,ournng 40
ereen and many similar towns" as The historian Tells
us and while ne was engaged in raising an army !e
invade France in 1885, exacng from The lmpoVerish'
ed English people all their wealth TO waste IN war
borrowing money from all foreign princes VINO wouio
lend him, pawning the English crown which made
him king, that he might still further extend desruc
ton over fertile France when in the battles whicn ou
historians and poets have SO minu!eIy recorded ahd
loftily sung out, swords cashed with SWORDS, and
battle-axes rung upon coats of mail, the warrior he'
roes of France, there was servant OF mankind max
ing more noise in Bristol, which was OF ihhhneiy
greater service to England than the en'lre conquest
of Europe would have been.
This was Thomas Blanket The noise ne made
was not that of the clashing sword, out OF e clas-
ing shuttle. His purpose was not 10 destroy wha'
his country already possessed, but to give his coun
try what il did not yet possess-blankets, covering
of comfort TO 90 to bed with, TO sleep UNDER that II
might be refreshed in sound sleep, and rise in health
and strength to its daily work of making mankind
happier by being happy itself Thomas Blanket was
soon inflated by his neghbors, who, like himself,
set up looms in their own houses, and made wolen
cloth like that which he made. The cloth was
named by his name and TO this day through all time
in this country will the name be known, though
nothing else is known of this weaver than that he
was the first to introduce the blanket manufacture IN
to Eng land.
before the reign of Edward ILL., We read lha' IN 100
John Kemp of flanders, introduced the weaving OF
cloth into England that the King invited iuiiersoyers'
and-so-fourhto come from Flanders and settle mere.
of ,VaS discreet,
viewed in connection with some other oil MS acuohs'
prove him to have had perception oflhe real sour
ces of national we'll being Buthe no sooner allow
ed the clothmanuactured to be implanted IN England,
than he almost rooted it up again by restrictive ell
acments and oppressive taxes to carry on his wars
The manufacture of the twisted double thread OF WOOL
len called worsted,was introduced into England about
this time, or soon after
The village of Worsted, about fifteen miles from
Norwich, was the first place where TINS Unread was
made, and it took the name OF the village mere IS
no spinning nor woollen manufactures at "ors Iea
now. but from the tombs in the graveyard, and the
benefaclions left 10 the parish, which are recorded
in the church, we have proofs that the manufacturers
of Worsted were numerous, opulen and lived there IN
successive generations, dnring several centuries.
Il may be also noticed here, that after inqulring
into the history of the parish and manufacturers OF
Worsted, we visited Lindsey, which gave tne name 70
the fabric known as lindsey woolsey, and the hersey
and the Mere close to it in Suffolk, where the work.
shops were situated, in which the cloth called Kef-
seymere was first made.
The cloth so called HOW differs from the original,
and there is but little trade Of any kind IN hersey
now. But, as at Worsted, the graveyard anu .he
church have many records of manufacturers long de-
ceased Their names, though now Angllclsed, are
common in Suffolk, and are all of Flemish origin
From SomeruiHs forthcoming BiogrGpAnc History
of Free Trade and the League, and The Pioneer q
Progress