As stockings are made of worsted, silk, and cotton, e shall consider the manufacture of them in this place. The art of knitting stockings was introduced about the middle of the 16th century ; and within 27 years after needles had been applied to this purpose, the steel frame was invented, or introduced by one Lee of Calverton, in Nottinghamshire. This county, and the adjoining coun ties of Derby and Leicester, still continue the seat of the stocking manufacture. The Frame-work Knitters Company were incorporated in 1664 ; but during the first century after the invention, few improvements were made in the frames, as in 1660 two men were employ ed to work one frame. Latterly, however, great im provements have taken place in this machine, and it has been applied to various purposes besides the mak ing of stockings.
The species of stockings made at present in Leices tershire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire, in some re spects vary from one another. In the first mentioned county, the stockings are principally or wholly of worst ed or of cotton ; very few, if any, silk stockings being made in the county. The worsted and cotton for ma nufacturing them, is prepared either in the county, or in the neighbouring county of Warwick, particularly in Warwick itself, where one house is very extensively concerned in this trade. The articles made in Leices tershire are principally light, consisting of sandals, gloves, half stockings, Cc. a great many of which were formerly exported to America. The chief places in the county where this trade is carried on, are Leices ter, Hinckley, and Loughborough ; but in all the prin cipal villages through most parts of Leicestershire, the inhubitants are more or less engaged in this trade. It is calculated, that there are employed about 20,000 peo ple. In Hinckley alone, 3000 are generally employed. The whole hosiery annually made is estimated at the Ialue of 1,500,0001.
In Nottinghamshire, the stocking-trade is still more extensive, as well as valuable, than in Leicestershire. Besides stockings, stocking-pieces for pantaloons, &c. are made ; and of stockings themselves a great propor tion are silk. Thread stockings were formerly made here in great quantities, but, as we 'before mentioned, since the advancement of the cotton trade, they have been entirely superseded by cotton stockings. The trade of Nottinghamshire has undergone great fluctua tions, and is by no means at present in a settled state.
In the year 1807, which was a flourishing year, it was very great in all its branches. Besides stockings and stocking-pieces, cotton caps have been made in this county for some years. These are exported in great quantities to the Mediterranean, 60,000 dozen having been sent in one year. Formerly the countries border ing on this sea were supplied from Germany ; but the manufacturers of Nottinghamshire gained possession of the market, by superior industry and attention, and small er profits.. Pieces are also made in the frame, which
are afterwards cut up into gloves, and exported to the United States and Canada. All kinds of fleecy hosiery are likewise made ; but what principally distinguishes Nottinghamshire, is its manufacture of lace on the stocking-frame. Warp lace was invenied in 1804 ; and, in the year 1805, cotton-yarn (for this lace is made of cotton) was wrought fine enough to he made into double press lace, and so much approved, that in 1807 there were 1200 frames employed ; and in 1808, 1500. About this time an inferior kind of lace was made ; and it is said that the decaying and unsettled state of the Not tinghamshire manufacture is, in a great measure, owing to the bad quality of these goods. Within these few years, a patent has been obtained for net silk lace, for ladies' veils, Sce. in the making of which a great many women are employed, chiefly at Castle Donnington and its neighbourhood, in Leicestershire, dependant on Not tingham. The hosiery manufacture of Derbyshire is chiefly confined to those parts of the county that border on Nottinghamshire, and to Litton, near Tideswell. The number of frames employed, including those on which silk and cotton stockings are wrought, has been calcu lated about 1350. In all these counties, a large propor tion of the manufacturers are men of small capital. Large quantities of cotton gloves are made in Leicester shire and Nottinghamshire : woollen gloves are princi pally made in Wales and the north of England.
Knit stockings are now seldom made ; though, in the more hilly or retired parts of England, especially in Richmondshire, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, in Cumberland, and in the isle of Purbeck, and at \Vim borne in Dorsetshire, considerable quantities are made.
Linen-lace, made by bobbins, is the chief employ ment of the women in the small towns of Bucking hamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, and in some parts of Devonshire. It is supposed that more lace of this kind is made at Newport Pagnell, in the first mentioned county, than in all the rest of England. At Honiton, in Devonshire, the broadest lace is made ; but, since the introduction of the Not tinghamshire cotton lace, that made of linen thread has fallen much into disuse ; nor is the decline of the trade to be lamented, since, from the sedentary habits which were necessary to carry it on, and from the practice of the females who were engaged in it, crowding together in small, ill ventilated rooms, in the winter time, for the purpose of keeping themselves warm, it produced much ill health in the districts in which it was the chief occupation.