, 1860-06-22
Origin Ct the words Blanket, Wool.
en-, &c.


While Edward Ill.,, in 1887, repeated his
invasion Of Scotland, and "raVaged the
country with great fury, burning Aberdeen
and many similar towns" as the historian
tells us; and while he was engaged in rails
ing an army TO invade France in 1888, ex-
acting from the impoverished English peo
pie all their wealth to waste in war; and
when be was wasting France withwar borrow.
ing money from all foreign princes who would
lend him, Pawning the English crown which
made him king, that he might still further
extend destruction over fertile France |;
when in the battles which our historians and
poets have so minutely recorded and lOftily
sung out, swords clashed with swords, and
battle-axes rung upo1 coats Of mail, the
warrior heroes Of France, there was 9 ser.
want Of mankind making q noise in Bristol,
which was Of infinitely greater service to
England than the entire conquestOf Europe
would have been.
This was Thomas Blanket. The noise he
made was not that Of the claShing sword, but
Of the clashing shuttle. His purpose was not
TO destroy what his country possessed, but to
give his country what il did not yet possess,
blsnkets, . covering Of comfort 70 90 to bed
with, to sleep under, that It might be refreshed
in sound sleep, aid rise in health end strength
TO is daily work Of making mankind happier
BY being happier itself Thomas Blanket was
soon initiated BY bis neighbors, who, like him,
set up looms in their own no, ses, and made
wOOlen cloth like that which be made. The
cloth was named BY bis name; and to thisday,
through al time in this country, will the name
be known. though nothing esse isknown Of this
weaver than that be was the first TO introduce
the blanket manufacture into England.
No cloth of any kind had been wove IN
England before the reign of Edward iii.
We rad that in 1881 John Kempt, from
Flanders, introduced the weaving Of cloth
into England; that the King invited fnllers,
dyers, and 50 forth. to eun,e from Flanders
and settle there. This policy on the part Of
Edward Was discreet; and viewed in con-
nectivn with some other Of his sections,
prove him 70 have had some perception of
the real sources Of national well.being. But
he no sooner allowed the cloth mapufacture
70 be implanted in England, than he almost
rooted il up again BY restrictive enactments
and oppressive taxes 70 carry on his wars
The Manufacture vf twisted double thread
Of wooden, called worsted, was Introduced
into England abont this time, or soon after.
The village Of Worsted, about fifteen
niles from Norwich, was the first place
where this thread was made, and Il took
the name uf the village. There is no spin
ming nor woclsn manufactures At Worstsd
now, but ir0m he tom5s IN the graveyard,
and the beneihotions leit to the parish, which
are recorded in the church, we have prOols
that the m nnfictnrers Of Worsted were
numerous, opnlent, and lived there in sue
cessive generations during several centu.
ries.
tmay also Be noticed here. that aaer in.
quiring b the history Of the parish and
manufacturers ef Wursied, we visited Lin
seys which gave the name 10 the fabric
known e lilsey wuolsey, and the Kersey
and the Mere close to It in Suffolk, where
The workshops where situated, in which the
clolh called kerseymere was first made.
The cloth 80 called now differs from the
original, and there Is but little trade Of any
kind IN Kersey now. But as Worsted, the
graveyard and the church ha 9 many rec
Ords u manufacturers long deceased. Their
namrs though now Angliciaed, are common
IN Suffolk, and are all 0f Flemish origin.
Gas ron FELoh. Having very nearly
l0,t finger BY one Of those excruciating
ills 70 which our hesh Il heir, feel com
Ill - A..a - 49, :.