Well! I never knew that!

[Daft Bat]

In the Morning Herald of 6th July 1826, there was an announcement that read:

INDIA SILK HANDKERCHIEFS – the 6th of July, being fixed for the ADMISSION of MANUFACTURED SILKS and GLOVES into this country, a great variety of curious patterns of INDIA SILK POCKET HANDKERCHIEFS are selected and will be ready for sale on that day at the warehouse of C.KEENE and CO…

Yes, until that time, although silk had been imported into Britain, all items were then made in the local silk mills, especially ribbons.

Objections were raised in Parliament, especially by Edward Ellice, the MP for Coventry, who had presented a petition from the silk weavers of Coventry two years earlier on 4th March 1824.

However, these objections were dismissed and so items began arriving (legally) to be sold openly.

 

[Bay Horse]

Macclesfield Town Football Club are/were known as "The Silkmen" of course - and Macclesfield has a silk museum (worth a visit).

I had a family member who played for the Silkmen over a hundred years ago.

 

[Anthony J Corps]

In the Morning Herald of 6th July 1826, there was an announcement that read:

INDIA SILK HANDKERCHIEFS – the 6th of July, being fixed for the ADMISSION of MANUFACTURED SILKS and GLOVES into this country, a great variety of curious patterns of INDIA SILK POCKET HANDKERCHIEFS are selected and will be ready for sale on that day at the warehouse of C.KEENE and CO…

Yes, until that time, although silk had been imported into Britain, all items were then made in the local silk mills, especially ribbons.

Objections were raised in Parliament, especially by Edward Ellice, the MP for Coventry, who had presented a petition from the silk weavers of Coventry two years earlier on 4th March 1824.

However, these objections were dismissed and so items began arriving (legally) to be sold openly.

Often womdered about the places that had a silk industry. Until today I did not know that their industry was based on imported silk. We live and learn Thanks for that Jan.

 

[mikejee]

For 70 years or so (from 1930s), silk was produced in uk at Lullingston, but it was not very sustainable because of the climate, though di produce silk for important occasions. A bit like the Welsh gold inductry