Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-06-15
MORNING LEADER.
THE FIRST ENGLfsH LACE WEAVER.
SIR uxSRY poRLAoE.

written to preserve TO us the events of the life
of Sir Henry Borace. Two hundred years ago
this philanthropst and benefactor of his coun-
try lived on bis patrimonial estate near Mar
low, Bucks. His income was trfling, compar-
ed with the length of his rsnt,soll; but the far
mers either would not OF could not pay, and at
that time not only they, but the whole agrcul-
tural population Of the country, had obtained
unenviable uotoriety for pauperism and vice.
Many oauses, into which we need not ct pres
ent enter, had tended to create and foster this
excess Of decentralization, which ended in a uni
versal rejection of all attempts at productive
industry. The demands of landlords who were
pressing were met with audacious refusas,
while persons who, like Sir Henry, expressed
sympathy towards those from whom their own
circumstances still compelled them to seek |
some payment in either money or kind, were |
answered by details OF domestic Affections, OF /
by having sternly exposed 60 their startled view |
the previously half concealed meshes of poverty |
aud guilt, in which the wretched speakers were |
entanged. The landed gentry perceived that
a crisis was at hand but not knowing how to
meet it, many of them withdrew into the towns
Sir Henry went from ono proprietor TO anoth
or, aud from them TO the people, endeavorng TO
bring into action the elements of reason, and
justice and truth His success was not great.
He found the landlords ready to admit the VIC.
lence, the reckessness, the insubor1nation of
Of their tenantry, but not ready to take any ac-
tive part in their behalf, though in doing so
they would have used the only check which
could arrest their own downward progress.-
The people he found full of evil deeds, and yet
with manly English hearts, on which poverty
| lay like horrible incubus.
Alter some negotiation, carried on principal
/ ly through him. public meetings were propos-
ed Much was hoped for from them, but
! I, Il
conferences held; some of them were rather
stormy; aud at length one broke up with wild
aud terrible violence, lives being lost on both
| sides. 1t was an awful commentary on the
absurdty Of bringing into collision the moral
and physical strength of the country--the men
of wealth and culture, with men requiring food,
needing restraint, incapable of trust. Sir
Henry felt this, and perceived that period crit
| lcal for the interest, not only of Buckingham
shire, hut of the whole country, had arrived.
! He resolved not TO call any further meetings,
but alone to labor for the wretched men who,
in the madness of their ignorance and debase-
ment, had offered resistance to law and order.
He determined also TO persevere in his labor of
love for them, until he had accomplished some
practical means of social improvement and in
vdual happiness. Many and weary, however,
were the days and weeks which rolled by be-
fore he could see his way to any hopeful plan
of usefulness. At length an idea presented it.
self suddenly to his mind He is described as
being at the time with his head bent over some
statistical returns, and computing the differ
ence between the number of laborers--sup-
posing all, whose duty it was, did labor-and
, the number of those who depended on those
, laboTers for the necessaries of life, when, sud-
denly starting up, he exclaimed "l thank
/ lleavenl ! have found what l sought. The
poverty, the misery, the crimes, the constant
: state OF agitation and excitement of our peas
antrY, are not attributable to misTule nor heavy
! taxation, nor unfair dealing, nor an oppressive
2 feudal system, but simply to the absence O
Y productive employment Tor females" 1t was
J. sngularly plain solution Of case which wa,
t at the time taxing the wisdom of the egisla
i t'aro, and its worth has since been proven bl
: its wOndrOus results-the iniiuenGe which +
y has exercised on the condition not only of tht
- country, but of the whole empire
4 A day or two elapsed, and then he left Iii
o fine old paternal mansion with little moro thar
Il few coins in his pocket. and with his walle
literally slung from stick over his shoulders
n How he contrived 70 reach Holland (Which WA
J, the place of his destination,) how to v,
y there for two years, we are unable 20 narrate
Il all that is fully known is that the manufacture
q of lace occurred to him as an employment il
10 every way suited to the circumstances OF tn,
| people Of Buckinghamshire; requiring but lii
r tic time to obtain knowledge of, but litu
Is capital to commence with, and having an es
~ tabshed home market, inasmuoh as thousand
!, of pounds were sent annually out of Englan
Ia TO purchase the lace fabrics of Brussels Frame
re and Germany
u Many years after he had returned home, h
L. described the first check TO the hopes wit
which he had set out as arising from view O
!" the bright and beautiful homes Of the Dutc
~ pe9santry. "Cau such an amount Of comfort
d was the thought suggested by his fears, "b
n mainly dependent on the peaceful home en-
3. ployments of women and childrenW CiTcum
y stances which could not be controvertod an
IL swered the question. lie sought and obtaine
u a home, first in one, and then in another, q
II those beautiful little Dutch nests of comfol
~ ~ and domestic love, and found that, in all, lam
q. attachments were of paramount Importance i
n social relations; aud that woman guided j
er her little domestic circle by her employment
SC rs well as by her feelings, 50 was she inAuenC
ing, beyond the sphere OF her ken, tho vorte
of human affairs.
After an absence Of two years, Sir Henr
or returned to Buckinghamshire, accompanied b
two lace.makers, a mother and daughter, whOl
r. he induced TO settle in the village of Marlow
rs where he endowed a school, OF factory, in whic
o. twenty four girls were taught the trade OF lace
making. II was a small beginning for the glt
'st rious results which ensued The girls succeed
ed each other rapidly, and in less than sixteo
ld years, the laco-makers were no longer cOunte
by units, but by thousands, and that not onl
sc, in Buckinghamshire but in Bediordshire an
Northampton. The change in the moral cha
Of acter Of the people was rapid, and Sir Henr
ial Borlace lived to SEQ the day when the lac,
,st makers homes OF England were as beautiful,
"a fresh and as happy as the homes which had a
most startled him into unbelef by their beaut
in Holland. His example shows how muc
n' may be accomplished by one individual Trull
no man liveth rightly who liyeth only to hin
self
.c "jrussels point" was tho name given to IL
or lace then manufactured in BuckinghamshiIe-
be This is the lace which figures so beautifully
I'D the portraits by Yandyke, and afterwards b
to Sir Peter Lely and Sir Godfrey Kneller.
was made of fac Aaxen thread, woven on
cushion or pillow, by wooden bobbins, and III
pattern Of which was afterwards worked wit
"a. the needle, As years rolled by, many improve
ID. ments were effected IN pillow lace making an
" working, but none of any very eKtraOrtinaT
'e' Importance until 1900, when a new design wa
ny introduced at Honiton, in Devonshire, so del
aa cate and beautiful as not to be exceeded by II
nd finest specimens Of Brnssels lace,
ms Thirty years previous 10 the success OF II
,m Honiton lace, another new description Of MAJ
ON ulacture was invented by poor man, whoi
=, motive TO the attempt was solely q desire
~ amend the circumstances Of his family. ii
e. name was Hammond he was a framework
OF knitter, or stocking weaver, at Nottingham
aie His loom was a hired one, and consequently
.se bad but a small share Of his earnings for hiu