Having thus brought the historical sketch of our woollen manufacture, considered generally, down to the commencement of the present century, we shall now proceed to consider the principal branches of it ; the districts or towns in the kingdom which they oc cupy; and their actual state.
Under the general head of manufactures of wool, we comprehend not merely what are strictly and properly denominated the woollen manufactures, but also all ma nufactures in which wool is the raw material employed: these are naturally divided into the manufacture of woollen and worsted goods; or into those goods in which the card or the comb are employed in the pre paration of the raw material.
The principal seats of the former kind are the West Riding of Yorkshire, and the western counties of Wilt shire, Somersetshire, and Gloucestershire ; and of the latter kind, the county of Norfolk; for we shall omit the consideration of the stocking manufacture at pre sent, and consider it by itself, as stockings, being made of worsted, cotton, and silk, seem properly to fall un der none of these heads. The woollen manufactures -of North Wales will also be considered ; they are prin cipally situated in the counties of Merioneth, Denbigh, and Montgomery.
The length of the manufacturing district of the West Riding of Yorkshire, from north to south, may be esti mated at 40 miles, and its mean width at 20 miles, giving together an area of 200 square miles; but this space includes the hardware manufacturing district about Sheffield, as well as the clothing district ; the lat ter commences below Craven, and extends over a tract, of which Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, and Wakefield, are the principal centres. The most important manufac ture in this district is that of woollen cloth, the greatest part of which is made in the neighbourhood of Leeds, Wakefield, Huddersfield, and Saddleworth. Leeds is particularly the mart for the coloured and white broad cloths. The former are sometimes called mixed clothsi. and are made of dyed wool. The mixed cloth manu facturers reside partly in the villages belonging to the parish of Leeds, hut chiefly at Morley, Guildersome, Adwalton, Dudlington, Pudsey, Farsley, Calverley, Eccleshall, Idle, Baildon, Yeadon, Rawdon, and Horsforth, in or bordering upon the vale of Aire, principally to the west of Leeds; and at Batley, Dews bury, Osset, Horbury, and Kirkburton, west of Wake field, in or near the valley of Calder. Very few mixed
cloth manufacturers are to be found to the east and north of Leeds, and there are very few in the town it self. The white cloth is manufactured chiefly at Al verthorpe, Osset, Kirkheaton, Dewsbury, Batley, Bir stal, Hopton, Merfield, Archett, Clackheaton, Little town, Bowling, and Shetley, a tract of country which forms an oblique belt across the hills that separate the vale of Calder from the vale of Aire, beginning about a mile west of Wakefield, leaving Huddersfield and Bradford a little to the left, terminating at Shipley on the Aire, and not coming within less than six miles of Leeds on the right. The districts of the mixed and white cloth are in general distinct and separate, but in some places, particularly at their south-east and south west extremities, they run into each other. The prin cipal manufactures of woollen in and near Halifax, arc flannels and baizes; though cloth, especially of that kind which is used for the army, is very generally made. The blanket and flushing line lies between Leeds and Huddersfield; and the manufacture of stuffs, principally in the neighbourhood of Bradford and Ha lifax: narrow cloths are made in and near Hudders field. At Saddleworth, the manufacture of broad cloths, nearly equal in fineness to those of the west of Eng land, and of kerseymeres, is carried on. At Wakefield some white cloths are made ; but this place is princi pally distinguished for its wool market, and for the excellence of its mode of dying cloths.
The county which first claims our attention in the west of England, for its woollen manufacture, is cestershire ; here broad cloths of various sorts arc made, but chiefly superfine, of Spanish wool ; and of fine nar row goods, in the fancy way, to a very great extent. This manufacture is carried on in that district which, by way of distinction, is called the Bottoms, including parts of the several parishes of Avening, Painswick, Pitch comb, Randwick, 111inchinghampton, Stroud, Bisly, Rodborough, Stonehouse, King's Stanley, Leonard Stan ley, Wood Chester, Ilorseley, and Eastington ; extensive works are also carried on at Dursley, Cam, Uley, Al derley, Wick war, and Wooten-under-Edge. Stroud may be considered as the centre of the manufacture in this part of the country, all the surrounding valleys ex hibiting a range of houses or villages, inhabited by per sons engaged in this business.