Suffolk Threads Heritage Trail

Threads
A celebration of the
Sufolk Wool Towns
Bury St Edmunds
A glorious cathedral, the world’s
smallest pub, the only remaining
Georgian theatre in the land and the
beautiful Abbey Gardens adjacent
to Angel Hill, Bury St Edmunds has
plenty to shout about.
Clare & Cavendish
Clare and Cavendish are two of those
rare, unspoilt villages that give visitors
a glimpse of old England.
Hadleigh
Legend has it that Guthrum, King of the
Danes, is buried in the grounds of St
Mary’s Church, just one of the historic
buildings that lend their antique charm
to Hadleigh, a bustling market town.
Ipswich
Stunning regenerated waterfront
buzzing with cafés and restaurants,
beautiful parks, river cruises, multiple
museums and theatres.
Lavenham
Perhaps the best way to make the most
of Lavenham is on foot. A number of
circular walks weave through the historic
lanes taking you on a journey through
Mediaeval England.
Long Melford
With its two fabulous historic buildings
– Kentwell Hall and The National Trust’s
Melford Hall, of Beatrix Potter fame –
the beautiful village of Long Melford has
a rich and distinguished history, which
extends back to the booming
wool trade.
Sudbury
Set in the meandering Stour Valley, an
area of outstanding beauty immortalised
by landscape painter John Constable,
the ancient market town of Sudbury
has a timeless charm that continues to
attract locals and visitors alike.

A small cluster of towns and villages in the heart of
Suffolk known as the Suffolk Wool Towns rapidly
became the jewel in the crown for Mediaeval
England’s booming textile trade. Their heady
success and global fame encouraged delegations
of Flemish weavers to flock to villages such as
Cavendish, Clare, Long Melford and Lavenham.
Perhaps even more significantly though, it also led
to the creation of a distinctly lavish local architecture
that endures today with Lavenham, home to a
multitude of exquisite listed buildings, proudly
bearing the lofty mantle of ‘England’s Best
Preserved Mediaeval Village’.
To celebrate the unique history of the Suffolk Wool
Towns, the Heritage Lottery funded project Suffolk
Threads weaves together a rich tapestry of events
that tell the fascinating story of this pivotal moment
in English history. These include guided walks in
Lavenham savouring the beautiful architecture and
historic sites that attract thousands of visitors each
year; a number of Heritage Open Days hosted by
The National Trust at the Guildhall of Corpus Christi
that include demonstrations of traditional spinning
and weaving techniques by the Lavenham Guild of
Spinners & Weavers; and the opportunity to explore
the online and printed Heritage Trail, which signposts
visitors to all the key places in the Suffolk Wool
Towns. We hope you enjoy the experience.
Babergh Hundred: In England
and Wales a hundred was the
division of a shire for administrative,
military and judicial purposes under
common law. In Saxon times,
a hundred had enough land for
a hundred households.
Bays: A fine and light
fabric which was lightly fulled
and raised.
Broadcloth: A plain and fairly
weighty fabric of medium quality,
measuring 28yd 28in long by 5ft 3in
wide. The main product of Suffolk
in the Middle Ages, exported as far
as Russia and the Middle East.
Cade's rebellion: Uprising against
the government of Henry VI led
by Jack Cade, an Irishman living
in Kent.
Carding: Combing the wool
Dozen: A cloth about 13 yards
long, either broad or narrow.
Fulling: The process of beating
cloth to clean and thicken it; done
either by human hands and feet,
or by hammers at specially adapted
water-mills.
Hanseatic League: The League
was an economic alliance of
trading cities and their guilds that
dominated trade along the coast
of Northern Europe.
Kersey: Cloth of no standard
dimensions, possibly named after
the village of Kersey.
Shearmen: The experts who
cut the nap of the cloth.
Some useful definitions
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Point of interest Route of walk Footpath Prominent building Woodland / green
open space
Parking Additional route Water Built-up area Open country
Key to the maps
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Chequer Square
John Baret, a mediaeval merchant, lived at Baret House
(in the corner). His house was used in 1463 as a Spinning
House – unusual, as this sort of work was usually carried
out in people’s own homes. Bury was famed for its coverlet
weaving and quite a lot of the weavers were described
as dornix (or darnick) weavers, from the Flemish word
for Tournay, which may have been used for hangings or
ecclesiastical vestments.
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St Mary’s Church
One of the largest parish churches in the country and the
resting place of Mary Tudor, Queen of France, Duchess
of Suffolk and favourite sister of Henry VIII. St Mary’s is
renowned for its magnificent hammer-beam Angel roof
and is also home to the Chapel of the Suffolk and Royal
Anglian Regiments.
6

St Edmundsbury Cathedral
and Abbey Gardens
Suffolk’s only cathedral, with its stunning Millennium
tower, has been a church since the time of King Cnut in
the early 11th century. Since 1914, it has been the
Cathedral Church.
Stroll through the Abbey Gardens, with the ruins of the
11th century Benedictine abbey. Note the Norman tower
which houses the cathedral bells, and visit the churchyard
where Martha Gosnold is buried – daughter of explorer
Captain Gosnold who named Martha’s Vineyard in
her memory.
Cross Angel Hill and walk up Abbeygate Street to the Corn
Exchange, turning right along The Traverse. You may like to
visit Smith’s Row (see introduction).
Return to the car park via Cornhill and Brentgovel Street.
For leisure and shopping, Bury St Edmunds is a delight. Whether it’s small independent boutiques or
high street retailers, everything is within easy walking distance – and you’ll be hard pressed to find better
restaurants and cafés than those in Bury. Smiths Row, a leading contemporary craft gallery, boasts an
enviable range of affordable goodies, while neighbouring Moyse’s Hall Museum on The Cornhill provides
a fascinating insight into the past.
Book an evening at The Theatre Royal for a thespian treat, or perhaps take a tour of The Greene King
Brewery. You won’t stay anywhere more quintessentially English and charming than The Angel Hotel on
Angel Hill, where you can gaze at the cathedral's magnificent Millennium Gothic Lantern Tower from the
balcony. Bury St Edmunds is a rare treat.

The walk:
By the end of the Middle Ages, Bury St Edmunds was
a major industrial town. However, the broadcloth from
which fortunes had been made gradually became less
fashionable as more fabrics were imported from the
continent using Flemish weavers. The industry in Bury St
Edmunds did not adapt, and was reduced to spinning yarn
for sale to the weavers of Norwich and North Essex.
1

St Andrew’s Street South
and Woolhall Street
Just past the turning to Woolhall Street, there is a boundary
plaque on the right for James Oakes (re-sited from an
earlier building near here), a famous yarn merchant in the
18th century who supplied the Norwich worsted weavers.
On this site he had combing sheds and wool warehouses.
Retrace your steps turning right into Woolhall Street.
The woolhall that stood here was demolished in 1828.
The Woolpack Inn once stood where Pizza Hut is now.
Turn right into Guildhall Street.
2

The Guildhall and 81 Guildhall Street
The Guildhall is possibly the oldest civic building in the
country, probably dating from the 12th century. Opposite,
81 Guildhall Street (now Ashton Graham, Solicitors) was
the home and banking hall of James Oakes. The wings at
each end were built by Sir John Soane – the right-hand
wing was the banking hall, the left-hand the dining room.
To the right was the Green Dragon public house also
owned by Oakes – his workers handed back their hard-
earned cash in return for beer! Turn left into Churchgate
Street, then right into Whiting Street.
3

United Reform Church
The United Reform Church, once the Independent Chapel
dating from around 1705, was attended by a vibrant group
of dissenters, many of whom were involved in the wool
industry. Turn left into College Lane, cross over into Church
Walks, then cross the road into Tuns Lane and turn left.
3. 6.
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Trail Details
Distance: 3.25 km / 2 miles
Duration: 2-3 hours
Parking: St Andrew’s Car Park
(near bus station)
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Clare & Cavendish
14th century; formerly a much wider street, this was a
marshalling place for wool carters. Callis Street leads to
Common Street and the common.
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High Street
Once called Heigh Row (and possibly forming the western
side of the early market), this street has many associations.
The Swan was known as ‘Quilters’ in the 14th century.
‘Gilberds’ was the former name of 7-13 High Street, a
15th century half-timbered mansion owned by William
Gilbert, the largest wool business in the 16th century.
Clare Parish Church was known as the wool church in
the 14th and 15th centuries. The Ancient House was
bought by the important clothier John Fenn.
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Nethergate Street
This has 15th to 18th century associations – including the
houses of 15th century clothiers John Horold and John
Fenn, and tenements owned by 16th century clothier
John Martin. Nethergate House is a late 15th century
half-timbered house (altered in the 17th century) which
belonged to the Crosse family, important 17th century
clothiers – Francis Crosse was an important dissenter.
The house was later used as a school, and still later as
a hotel. The adjacent house, currently ‘Cloth House’,
was probably a weaving shed; behind is a tenter’s yard.
White House was the home of late 17th century saymaker
Thomas Raymond, and Richmond House belonged to
18th century weaver William Hammond.
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Clare Castle
Once owned by the immensely wealthy de Clare family,
who were among the largest landowners in the early
14th century, known to sell wool locally and to London.
The de Clares grazed their sheep on the common.
Clare, a wool village that lies on the north bank of the River Stour between Sudbury and Bury St Edmunds
in the South and Heart of Suffolk and voted BT Suffolk Village of the Year 2010, is infused with history and
traditional charm. Clare Castle Country Park, the 13th century Priory and Great Gothic Wool Church provide
a fascinating background for visitors to the village who will be spoilt for choice in terms of the excellent
guesthouses and B&Bs on offer, plus the range of restaurants and cafés.
Cavendish, with its three village pubs, iconic Suffolk Pink cottages and village green, is the perfect place to
stop for a picnic; it’s time to take a deep breath and be transported back to another age, a gentler age when
life moved at a different pace.


The walk:
This walk links the historic towns of Clare and Cavendish,
both picture postcard Suffolk villages. The walk to
Cavendish is a gentle, undulating ramble following a
section of the long distance footpath, the Stour Valley
Path. There are delightful views of the countryside along
the route, refreshments are available at the half way point
at Houghton Hall, and Cavendish is truly beautiful – don’t
forget your camera! You return on the same route which in
the ever changing Suffolk light offers a different experience
every time.
During the centuries prosperous for the cloth trade, nearly
every important building in Clare had associations with the
cloth industry, from the selling of raw wool to the weaving
of broadcloth and later bays, says and linen, to the houses
of wealthy clothiers and mercers. The wealth of the town
is reflected in the impressive size of the 14th and 15th
century parish church of St Peter and St Paul.
1

Market Hill
The market dates to before Domesday – wool and
woollens were sold there from shops and stalls that once
filled the middle (these were pulled down in the 19th
century for redevelopment as a pig and poultry market).
Wool was also traded at local fairs, including the annual
Wentford Fair. The Old Bear & Crown was probably once
the ‘new’ hall owned by William Gilbert and used for wool.
There are 17th century drapers’ and weavers’ shops at
1-2 and 6-8 Market Hill. Old Bank House was once the site
of two weavers’ cottages, pulled down in the 19th century.
2

12-16 Church Street
Owned by the Crispe family, this was the largest mid-17th
century bay and say making business with weaving rooms
at the rear. They issued tokens, including farthings coined
at Clare.
3

Callis Street
The name is said to be a corruption of Calais, the
compulsory port for all wool exports from the late
Trail Details
Distance: 11 km / 7 miles
Duration: 4-5 hours
Parking: Clare Country Park
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Hadleigh
Market House. In the 1450s, part of the market lands were
purchased for the building of the Guilds Halls. Following the
reformation, these Halls were purchased for the town and
joined to the Market House. In 1851 part of the complex
was pulled down to build the New Town Hall, incorporating
the Grand Hall and a police station.
4

Deanery Tower
The brick Deanery Tower was built by the Rector, William
Pykenham, in the late 15th century as a gatehouse to the
mediaeval rectory.
5

St Mary’s Church
One of the largest parish churches in Suffolk, the first stone
church was built in around 1250, the tower being the last
obvious part. The flint and stone church was enlarged in
the 14th and 15th centuries. During the Commonwealth
period the church was stripped of its ornamentation, and
in the 19th century the exterior and interior of the church
were restored. The church clock, with its exterior bell,
has been in position since at least 1584.
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Viscount Bayning’s House (now Abbott’s
Estate Agents, 46-48 High Street)
The core of this house is an early hall house, the exterior
being pargeted and also having a leather faced one-
handed clock, probably from the building’s role as a
clockmaker’s in the 18th century. One of the rooms inside
this house has a heavily moulded ceiling and a wall painting
depicting Potifer’s wife rescuing Joseph from the well (open
to the public when the estate agents is open).
The flint and freestone parish church of St Mary’s houses the oldest bell in Suffolk that still marks the time,
and is home to the Hadleigh Choral Society, which performs a host of fantastic concerts throughout the year.
Hadleigh has a fascinating history reflected in over 250 listed buildings, from its fabulous rise to fortune during
the Middle Ages due to the burgeoning wool and silk trade, through to the establishment of The East Anglian
School of Painting and Drawing in the 1930s at Benton End, a rambling farmhouse on the edge of
the town, whose students included Lucian Freud and Maggi Hambling.
The Hadleigh Show, first held in 1840 and also known as ‘The May Show’, is one of the oldest and most
popular events of its kind in Suffolk; the perfect day out for all the family.
The walk:
Records kept by the Stewards of the manor identify that,
by the early 1300s, around 37% of the population of
Hadleigh was involved in the production of woollen cloth.
Hadleigh was run by the clothiers who, on making their
fortunes, moved out either to landed estates, or to trade
in the City of London. With the demise of the market for
the heavy woollen cloth produced in Hadleigh, the town
declined by the early 18th century into severe poverty.
This is a very gentle walk around Hadleigh. The Guildhall
complex in the heart of the town is visually impressive,
but do not miss the real hidden gem of this walk – the
mural in Viscount Bayning’s House showing Joseph being
thrown down a well! The walk includes a stroll alongside
the peaceful and pretty River Brett – the more adventurous
can walk up the hill behind the river for views of the town
or seek out the Hadleigh Railway Walk, a two mile walk to
Raydon and back.
1

The Row Chapel, George Street
William Pykenham left money for the building of
Almshouses in George Street, including a chapel already
on the site, dedicated to the Blessed Mary Magdalen and
to St Catherine. This chapel was refurbished in the late
19th century.
2

Toppesfield Bridge
Built in the 14th century and widened in 1812, said to be
the oldest working bridge in the county.
The next three buildings all lie in the centre of the
town in the churchyard:
3

The Guildhall complex
This comprises the Market House, Guilds Halls and
the Victorian New Town Hall. The building fronting the
churchyard is the Market House, probably built in the
1430s and either incorporating or replacing the original
Trail Details
Distance: 3½ km / 2 miles
Duration: 1-2 hours
Parking: Magdalen Road Car Park
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Ipswich
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St Lawrence Church
Before Henry VIII’s break with the Church of Rome in
1538, people believed they could escape Purgatory by
making bequests to their local church. The initials and
carved shears on the rear outside wall of this flint church
commemorate John Baldwyn, who made his money from
the wool trade.
Turn right into Tavern Street then left at traffic lights and
Great White Horse Hotel into Northgate Street. At the top
turn right, bearing left into Soane Street, perhaps taking
time to explore Christchurch Park, a designated County
Wildlife Site of special historic interest. Whilst in the park,
why not visit Christchurch Mansion, with its collections of
pottery, glass and art. Continue down Soane Street to
St Margaret’s Church.
5

St Margaret’s Church
Look high above the windows for signs of the massive
wealth accrued by John and Katherine Hall, dyers.
The Halls amassed sufficient riches in the 15th century
to help fund the enlargement of their parish church,
adding a magnificent double hammerbeam timber roof,
recently restored.
Retrace your steps to the crossing, back down Northgate
Street, straight over the traffic lights and into Upper Brook
Street. At the next traffic lights turn left into Tacket Street
then right into Foundation Street. Half way along on the left
is Tooley’s Court.
6

Tooley’s Court
On these 19th century almshouses is the finely painted
coat of arms of Henry Tooley, who died in 1551 and
left money to support poor sailors, in gratitude for the
hardworking seamen who put to sea in his vessels.
Continue down Foundation Street and over the crossings
back to the Waterfront.
The County Town of Ipswich is a wonderful mix of old and new. Boasting a new university and
state-of-the-art Jerwood DanceHouse along the Waterfront, it’s plain to see that this is a place with its eyes
well and truly set on the future. Cosmopolitan cafés and restaurants – and the fabulous Salthouse Harbour
Hotel overlooking the Orwell Estuary – are testimony to the town’s vibrancy and verve.
Ipswich is steeped in history – it’s the birthplace of Cardinal Wolsey, who founded The King's School in
1528, and who was responsible for the planning and execution of the famous Field of Cloth of Gold meeting
in 1520 between King Henry VIII and King Francis I of France. Christchurch Mansion, nestled in the town
centre, houses the second largest collection of Constable paintings in the UK and a plethora of works
by Thomas Gainsborough. The town’s rich heritage continues today with a host of excellent arts venues
supported by an enviable calendar of cultural events including IP-Art Festival, The Maritime Ipswich Festival
and Ipswich School Festival of Music.
The walk:
The ancient port of Ipswich was ideally placed to benefit
from the increased trade and wealth from the wool trade,
being on a busy river opening onto the coast. Granted a
Royal licence to export wool in 1404, it became a major
exporter of cloth woven in the Suffolk Wool Towns.
Start on Ipswich Waterfront where there is car parking and
coffee bars and restaurants.
1

Waterfront
Now a popular meeting place for townspeople and visitors,
the quays were once the centre of commercial activity. Here
wealthy merchants built their fine houses and warehouses.
2

Isaac’s
One of the best preserved examples of a mediaeval
merchant’s house and warehouse in England. The ancient
Grade I listed warehouse may have held cloth awaiting
shipment to the continent – stored at first floor level to
protect from water damage.
Continue along the Quay. Note the Old Custom House,
which in 1845 replaced a mediaeval timber framed building.
Continue, passing restaurants and the tall Mill / DanceEast
until you reach the busy road at Stoke Bridge. Turn right,
cross over passing the mediaeval church of St Peter, over
another crossing and into St Peter’s Street.
3

St Peter’s Street and St Nicholas Street
These streets, with rows of timber framed houses, retain a
tucked away Tudor courtyard half way along on the right
through the timbered ‘Bar IV’ arch. The houses provided
homes and business premises for those involved in
cloth weaving. Cardinal Wolsey grew up in a house in
St Nicholas Street – look out for the plaque on the right
marking the spot near to where his house stood
Continue to traffic lights, cross over into Queen Street.
When you reach the open space of Giles Circus turn right
into Butter Market. Half way along, turn left into Dial Lane.
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Trail Details
Distance: 2.6 km / 1.6 miles
Duration: 1-2 hours
Parking: On the Waterfront
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Barn Street
Formerly known as Hockerells Street, its occupants
included some of the town’s wealthiest merchants;
only a few of their houses survive. William Jacob lived in
Molet House, once a magnificent structure four times its
current size.
Further down the hill is the Old Grammar School, dating
from the 15th century. One of the school’s most famous
pupils was John Constable.
4

Water Street
Water Street’s name derives from the open sewers which
once ran along it. Water was essential for washing fleece
and rinsing cloth. Around 1500 the cloth merchants
diverted the water underground, demolishing most of the
buildings and building a series of brick-built culverts, which
still exist. The houses running along the south of Water
Street were rebuilt directly over them, a continuous row
of fine jettied buildings that reflected Lavenham’s wealth.
England’s finest mediaeval village, Lavenham has plenty to recommend it. With truly wonderful places to stay,
excellent restaurants, pubs and cafés, and an enormous variety of galleries, boutiques and antique shops,
the greatest challenge is fitting everything in.
The Swan Hotel, whose history dates back to the 15th century, is an enchanting treat, its roaring log fires
and cosy interiors the perfect place to recharge the batteries. The Great House’s French restaurant has been
variously described as ‘cracking’ and 'the best restaurant in Suffolk' by national foodies.
Lavenham has an abundance of galleries. The Crooked Gallery, another splendid example of 15th century
architecture, offers a fascinating selection of paintings, ceramics and textiles, while other galleries specialise
in sculpture, stained glass, tapestry and contemporary art.
Perhaps the best way to make the most of Lavenham is on foot. A number of circular walks weave through
the historic lanes taking you on a journey to explore mediaeval England at its very best.
The walk:
Lavenham specialised in a coarse, woad-dyed broadcloth
known as Lavenham Blewes, famous as far away as
Northern Russia. In 1524 it was England’s 14th richest town
yet, within a generation, its cloth industry had collapsed.
The walk follows the old railway line through a deep
cutting, returning along an adjacent footpath through
pretty countryside before heading to the church of
St Peter & St Paul.
1

Tenter Piece
A short distance from the church is Tenter Piece, an area
of ground with wooden frames upon which cloth would be
stretched ‘on tenterhooks’ to dry and be shaped.
2

The Market Place
Lavenham’s market charter was granted by Henry III
in 1257. In 1357 the lords of the manor acquired
freedom of tolls for Lavenham cloth merchants to trade
throughout England.
Little Hall, built in the 1390s for the Causton family of
clothiers, is one of the oldest timber-framed buildings in
the village and the only domestic mediaeval hall house
open to the public.
The market cross was a bequest from William Jacob,
a wealthy clothier.
The Guildhall of Corpus Christi is one of the finest
timber-framed buildings in Britain, built around 1530.
Lavenham
5

Lady Street
Lady Street has had several names - its current name
comes from the belief that Our Lady’s Guild Hall was
situated further down the street. It became known as the
Wool Hall in the 18th century and was partly demolished
in the early 20th century to be shipped to America; outcry
from village residents saved it and it is now part of The
Swan Hotel.
Further up is The Grove, which has at its core a fine timber-
framed building, thought to have been the ‘headhouse’ of
Thomas Spring III, Lavenham’s richest cloth merchant and
the wealthiest commoner outside London.
6

Church Street and the parish church of
St Peter & St Paul
There has been a church here since before Domesday,
but most of today’s structure was built between 1485 and
1525, funded chiefly by the de Vere and Spring families -
their emblems can be seen around the church.
Trail Details
Distance: 5½ km / 3½ miles
Duration: 3 hours
Parking: The Cock Inn (or Prentice St)
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© Crown Copyright. Licence No.100023395 2011
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Long Melford
1441 was occupied by John Dyster, a weaver. The brick
façade with the name Cocoa-nut House and date 1881
was added in the 19th century when the building formed
part of an industrial site where coconut fibres were woven
into matting.
4

Melford Place
This stood opposite Chapel Green and was the home
of the Martyn family who were closely involved in the
mediaeval broadcloth industry and who built the Martyn
Chapel in the church. They remained Catholic after the
Reformation and built a private chapel at Melford Place,
which still survives.
5

Kings Farmhouse
(east side of Hall Street)
This mediaeval building was the home in the late 17th
century of John King, a wealthy sayweaver who employed
a number of people in his workshops behind the building.
Says were a lighter and cheaper type of cloth which
became important in the 16th and 17th centuries after
the earlier woollen broadcloth industry had collapsed.
6

Holy Trinity Church (top of Melford Green)
The church was rebuilt in the second half of the 15th
century and was funded mainly by bequests from local
people who had become wealthy as a result of the cloth
industry, and from the Clopton family at Kentwell Hall.
The names of many of the donors are inscribed around
the outside of the building.
Long Melford offers rich pickings for all the family seeking the perfect day out. Whether you fancy taking part
in a re-enactment at Kentwell Hall or visiting the National Trust’s Melford Hall; a meander through the antique
shops, Lovejoy-style; savouring the culinary delights of some of the best restaurants for miles; or perhaps
a spot of seriously indulgent retail therapy in its fabulous selection of independent boutiques, stylish and
sophisticated Long Melford is the envy of East Anglia. With a wide range of accommodation including hotels,
bed-and-breakfasts, guesthouses and campsites, Long Melford is an excellent place to make a holiday
of it and explore Suffolk Wool Towns in style.

The walk:
This walk takes you out of town along Bull Lane to a
bridleway where you join the grassy Melford Walk, once a
railway line that carried passengers between Sudbury and
Bury St Edmunds. The walk returns through the centre
of town before heading up to the magnificent Holy Trinity
Church, following a section of the long distance footpath –
the Stour Valley Path – through open fields to the impressive
Kentwell Hall, and returns past the picturesque turrets of
Melford Hall. Most of the buildings in Long Melford date from
the 15th and 16th centuries when the cloth industry was
at its height, but this is not always obvious as the timber
framing on many of them has been covered by a later brick
or plaster facade.
1

Bull Inn (east side of Hall Street)
This has been an inn since at least the 16th century
(possibly earlier) and in 1532, following the death of the
owner, John Chester, Mayor of Sudbury, the building was
sold to George Ray, a clothmaker.
2

Brook House (opposite Bull Inn)
This was built during the late 15th century and in 1495 was
the White Hart Inn. It was owned by John Barker, a wealthy
cloth merchant who also owned a dyehouse (where the
raw wool or cloth was dyed) which stood in the field behind
the inn. Both these buildings stood either side of the late
mediaeval market place. The earlier market place was at the
south end of the village on Chapel Green which, as early as
1441, had become known as the ‘Oldmarket’.
3

Cocoa-nut House
(west side of Hall Street)
This mediaeval timber framed building with its characteristic
central hall and two crosswings (now divided into several
shops) is believed to date from the late 14th century and in
Trail Details
Distance: 7½ km / 4½ miles
Duration: 2-3 hours
Parking: Anywhere along Hall Street
or opposite Melford Hall
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© Crown Copyright. Licence No.100023395 2011
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4

70-78 Cross Street
The three cottages and the house on the right (75-78)
were acquired by Abraham Griggs, a say maker, in 1695.
He used the cottages as a factory, manufacturing lighter
fabrics – Royal Navy bunting made here may have fallen
into rebel hands in the War of Independence and been
used for the first ‘stars and stripes’. 70-74 were weavers’
cottages built in the late 1860s by the Kemps, local silk
manufacturers. Handloom weavers worked in the first floor
rooms with the large windows. Return along Cross Street
into Mill Hill, turn left to the Mill.
5

Mill Hotel
In the early mediaeval period fulling was done in open
pits on Fullingpit Meadows – later, mills used water-driven
hammers to beat the cloth. Turn right behind the mill along
the footpath above Fullingpit Meadows – land on the right
was once used as tenterfields. Pass the sluice gates, turn
right over the bridge and climb up to the church.
6

St Gregory’s Church
This 14th / early 15th century church owes much to the
wealthy Theobald family whose son, Simon of Sudbury,
became Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor
of England before dying in the Peasants Revolt. John
Shorthose, a weaver, left money for benches in the North
aisle. The south chapel contains the tomb of clothier and
local benefactor Thomas Carter.
Leave the churchyard by the east gate, cross Gregory
Street, bear right into Church Walk and down Weavers
Lane, noting the early Victorian silk mill at the junction with
Gainsborough Street. Turn left to Market Hill.
Sudbury offers an excellent mix of fine inns and hotels, shops and cafés, combined with an equally splendid
range of cultural and sporting facilities.
Market Hill is home to a number of fine buildings including the old Corn Exchange. One of its many winding
lanes leads on to Gainsborough’s House, now a fascinating gallery and exhibition dedicated to the life and
work of Thomas Gainsborough and other artists. A trip down Quay Lane ends at the luminary Quay Theatre
and the Granary.
Mostly, though, just feast your senses on the beautiful setting. Not only was the Stour Valley home to
Constable and Gainsborough, the meadows around Sudbury are the oldest continuously grazed land in
England; an earthly paradise with its many footpaths and wonderful walks.
The walk:
By the early 14th century Sudbury was one of England’s
wealthiest towns, largely thanks to the woollen industry.
By the 15th century wealthy clothiers controlled the
making of woollen cloth, and spent some of their wealth
on building fine timber-framed houses, and rebuilding
and decorating churches.
By the 1520s religious conflicts disrupted continental
markets. However, Sudbury’s spinners and weavers turned
to producing lighter fabrics.
This walk leads you through the bustling town with its historic
buildings and ancient streets, into Sudbury Meadows.
Return along the wooded Valley Walk, a haven for wildlife.
1

St Peter’s Church and Market Hill
By the 15th century Market Hill was surrounded by timber-
framed merchants' houses – shop facades often conceal
original timber framework, for example 23-24 and 28. Bear
left into Friars Street.
2

Buzzards Hall – No 17 Friars Street
A 15th century merchant’s house, extensively remodelled in
the 17th century. Continue to Priory Gate – late 15th century
gatehouse of the Dominican Priory. Turn right into School
Street, left into Straw Lane, and right up Plough Lane to the
junction with Stour Street. Turning left you will see a row of
15th century timber-framed cloth merchants’ houses.
3

Salters Hall (far end of the row)
The timber studwork demonstrates its owner’s wealth. A fine
oriel window has delicate tracery and carvings of an elephant
and lion with St James the Less, patron saint of fullers – his
‘golf club’ is the stick used to beat the cloth. Continue down
Mill Hill, bearing left into Cross Street.
* If you wish to explore further, the dotted route takes you across the Sudbury Commonlands to Brundon with its ancient
hall and mediaeval fulling mill. Where the footpath divides, take the right fork and continue up between the lake and the hall.
Past the cottages, turn left onto Brundon Lane and then bear right to return along the Valley Walk.
Trail Details
Distance: 5½ km / 3½ miles
Duration: 2-3 hours
Parking: Kingfisher Leisure Centre
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© Crown Copyright. Licence No.100023395 2011 visitsufolk.com/threads
Sufolk’s
Cloth Industry:
A History David Dymond
Haverhill
If you’ve enjoyed these walks, you
might want to also visit Haverhill,
a weaving town and a centre of the
woollen industry in mediaeval times,
but latterly more important for its
silk industry.
Dating back to pre-Roman times, Haverhill is one of
Suffolk’s oldest market towns and the second largest
in the Borough of St Edmundsbury. By the time of the
Domesday Book in 1086, it was already an established
market town – records of the market in the reigns of
Henry V and Henry VI show a significant trading centre
with shops and stalls selling meat, fish, cloth and lace.
The mediaeval town developed around Burton End.
During the later Middle Ages Haverhill prospered
as a weaving town and was a centre of the woollen
industry for several centuries. Weaver’s Row is a
row of weavers’ cottages, each 3 storeys high with
large windows on the first floor where the looms
were situated.
The town’s heritage includes the beautifully renovated
house called ‘Waggs’, once owned by the Lord of the
Manor (there is an urban myth that this was Anne of
Cleves’ House, although it is now believed that it was
so christened by an enterprising estate agent in the
1960s!). However, it is true that on January 27th
1541 the Parsonage, lands and the right to appoint
clergy were granted to Henry VIII’s recently divorced
fourth wife.
By 1620, Haverhill had become well known as a
Puritan town – it produced many leading Puritan
preachers such as the Ward family (John, his sons
Samuel and Nathaniel and his grandson John),
the Faircloughs and the Scanderets. Haverhill in
Massachusetts was founded in 1640 by emigrants
from Suffolk.
In the mid to late 1600s a Wool House was built,
where wool was washed and prepared for the spinners
and weavers. By now the individual weaver had been
replaced by Masters who bought up their products
and marketed them wholesale, perhaps also supplying
woollen yarn to the weavers; the trade was now
becoming organised.
Names like Duddery Hill reflect an old established
clothing trade. A dud was a coarse woollen cloth
or shawl used by village people. The use of ‘duds’ for
clothes is derived from this word, but survives more in
America than Britain.
In June 1667 most of Haverhill was destroyed by a
fire which started at the Swan and quickly spread.
Little of the town remained and the parish church could
not be used again until 1670. Few records survive of
the post-fire period – however, the diaries, journals
and poems of two weaver brothers, Barnaby and John
Webb, paint a picture of a beautiful small town, full of
interesting characters and customs.
The town’s fortunes revived during the Industrial
Revolution with the establishment of new businesses,
including several silk factories. In 1828 Stephen Walters
bought a former tan yard in Haverhill Hamlet and built a
silk factory – each floor had a long weaving room and
enough room for around 16 looms. Another silk factory,
Vanners, now forms part of the Addis Brush factory.
Nowadays, Haverhill is defined by its bustling
town centre boasting a great range of local shops
complemented by major high street retailers, with the
market remaining a major attraction for the surrounding
villages and beyond. At the heart of the town is the
fabulous Haverhill Arts Centre, a popular haunt of
local artists and musicians. The Centre, which
doubles as a theatre and a cinema, provides a hub
for the ever-popular Haverhill Arts Festival, which
explodes with international, national and local talent
each June. Theatre, comedy, children’s shows, music
and dance – something for all ages and tastes.
Today many people regard Suffolk as an agricultural
county, and are surprised to learn that for six hundred
years south-western Suffolk, with the adjoining part
of Essex, was a major industrial region specialising
in the production of woollen cloth. The crucial period
for the emergence of this trade was the 13th century.
Already by 1200 the defended boroughs of Bury St
Edmunds and Sudbury were regarded as cloth-making
centres, and by 1300 the industry had spread to smaller
towns and surrounding rural parishes, where costs
were lower and commerce was less regulated. This
period also saw the adoption of the horizontal loom
which produced a tighter weave and demanded more
skill than the earlier upright version. The reasons for
industrial growth at this time are not easy to pin down,
and the persistent belief that Flemish weavers imported
the trade is a troublesome myth. Nor were the rivers of
the region especially ideal for driving fulling-mills. It has
been argued that textile industries tended to take root
in pastoral areas when population levels were high and
freely owned smallholdings were commonplace. These
were certainly useful preconditions for finding a labour
force wanting extra work, and they applied to Suffolk,
but other factors were needed to propel economic
‘lift-off’− like the density of pre-existing markets, pools
of expertise in major towns, the favourable attitudes of
principal landlords and, perhaps above all, the initiative
of key individuals. While this brief survey concentrates
on the woollen industry in south-west Suffolk, we must
point out in passing that the northern and eastern parts
of the county, and adjacent parts of Norfolk, grew hemp
and flax on a large scale to support another domestic
industry producing linen, sackcloth and canvas.
When the Crown levied a national tax in 1327, south-
west Suffolk displayed a noteworthy proportion of
occupational surnames clearly linked to the cloth-trade.
Names like Webb, Webster, Dyer and Fuller occurred
65 times in the county, but of those 43 per cent were
listed under the southern hundreds of Babergh and
Cosford. In the early 14th century, the town of Clare
with its excellent records showed striking economic
development, and Hadleigh was already the region’s
principal manufacturing centre. Yet, in spite of this
surge, the growth in the second half of the century was
even more remarkable, after the Black Death had killed
between a third and a half of the national population
during the period 1348-50.
Those who survived that great catastrophe in England
and abroad were relatively more prosperous, and
they created a buoyant demand for textiles and
clothing which had not previously existed. A tax on
looms showed that Sudbury’s weaving peaked in
the 1350s-60s. Around 1390, Hadleigh’s taxpayers
included eleven clothiers, seven fullers, six weavers,
five shearmen and three dyers. Around 1390 a London
merchant recorded the purchase of cloth worth the
large sum of £213 10s 8d from a Hadleigh draper
named John Kempston. Indeed, by this time Hadleigh
had become, in Mark Bailey’s words, ‘the most prolific
manufacturing centre in Suffolk’, and in 1398-99 nearby
Kersey, so often regarded as the archetypal English
village, boasted two highly significant industrial facilities:
an open-air cloth market and an adjacent cloth-hall. By
the end of the century, Hadleigh, Lavenham, Kersey and
Bury St Edmunds were all prominent as centres
of production.
The characteristic textiles of the 14th century were the
‘dozen’; a cloth about 13 yards long which could be
broad or narrow; the ‘strait’ which was half the length
of a broadcloth and half its width, and the ‘kersey’,
which had no standard dimensions. (Peter Northeast
believed that kerseys were not named after the Suffolk
parish, but after an similar-sounding Arabic word for a
kind of head-dress.) Most of these fabrics were towards
the cheaper end of the market, and probably made
from local wools which were not of particularly high
quality. To sustain the industry, links had been built up
with merchants of Ipswich, Colchester and London,
three ports that exported most of Suffolk’s cloth. Local
producers increasingly depended on London merchants
for selling their cloth and supplying dyestuffs and other
essentials, and this trend was enhanced in 1395-96 by
the creation of the cloth-mart at Blackwell Hall, a few
yards from London’s Guildhall. The cloth exports of
Ipswich grew most noticeably during the 1430s, thanks
to its buoyant trade with merchants of the Hanseatic
League. However, growth was always at risk of being
punctured by recession, and a major economic slump
hit the region from the 1440s to 1460s. At this time
Hadleigh suffered from chronic unemployment, and
was the main hotbed of protest in the eastern counties
during Cade’s rebellion of 1450.
visitsufolk.com/threads
Sufolk’s Cloth Industry: A History
and they probably relied more on equipment and
materials supplied by their employers, the ‘clothiers’ or
‘clothmakers’. These were the capitalists and organisers
who provided the vital finance, paid the workers, set
them to their various tasks, delivered the raw materials
and collected the finished products. Thus, in his will of
1486, Thomas Spring II of Lavenham left 100 marks
(£66 13s 4d) to be distributed among ‘his spinners,
fullers and weavers’.
Some clothiers became very wealthy, millionaires by
today’s standards. In JCK Cornwall’s opinion, they
‘had no parallel outside London’. A classic example is
William Forthe of Hadleigh whose business interests
were widespread throughout East Anglia and in
London. He was a member of five guilds in Hadleigh,
and became a merchant of the Staple of Calais. In the
late 1460s the leading clothier of Suffolk was John
Stanesby of Bildeston; over four years he organised the
manufacture of 504 broadcloths and 6,760 straits, some
10 per cent of the county’s total output. In so doing he
employed twelve Italians to assist him. A better-known
example of a major clothier is Thomas Spring III of
Lavenham, who in the 1520s contributed over £800 to
the sumptuous rebuilding of the nave and tower of his
parish church. Like other top clothiers, he left in his will
a considerable sum of money (100 marks) for the repair
of local roads, thus conscientiously acknowledging that
his pack animals and carts had caused considerable
wear over the years. Yet on the other hand, as Amor
has shown, these ultra-wealthy individuals are quite
exceptional. The great majority of clothiers worked on
a smaller scale, sporadically and on a part-time basis;
they were ‘Jacks of all trades’ who pieced together a
living in various ways, and usually had some involvement
in farming.
Most cloth-making in this crucial period took place in
the towns and villages of southern Suffolk, from Clare
in the west to East Bergholt in the east. By the 1460s
the leading centres in the county were Hadleigh and
Lavenham; Babergh had half of all clothiers mentioned
in ulnage accounts, and Cosford had a quarter.
Important outliers were also to be found in towns like
Ipswich, Needham Market, Stowmarket and Bury St
Edmunds. Within the cloth-making district, individual
places had their own specialities. Boxford had its own
‘fashion’ for finishing broadcloth; the Waldingfields
concentrated on narrow cloth; Glemsford had its own
undyed ‘whites’. Varieties of colours or dyes were even
greater. Lavenham was renowned for its blue broadcloth
(blue could come in three different shades known as
azure, plunket and brown-blue). Hadleigh was equally
celebrated for its straits in bright colours, especially
violet, and sent regular supplies to London. In return
it received advances of cash and necessary materials
such as woad and alum (a fixer of dye).
The so-called muster roll of Babergh Hundred, compiled
in 1522, lists those who owed military obligations to
the Crown, and incidentally gives their occupations
and assessed wealth. It shows that particular parishes
tended to have dominant occupations. Lavenham,
for example, had a marked concentration of clothiers:
out of a total of 120 clothiers in the whole Hundred, it
had 33. Moreover, a third of the town’s occupations
were related to cloth. By contrast, Boxford was
dominated by weavers, Melford by fullers and Nayland
by shearmen. Also in the 1520s, tax returns show that
prosperous Lavenham ranked as the 14th wealthiest
town in England (thanks largely to the wealth of the
Spring family). Hadleigh was 25th, Melford 39th and
Nayland 43rd. This industrialised district with its London
connections formed, in the words of Richard Britnell,
‘one of England’s most advanced mercantile networks’.
The ledger of Thomas Howell, a London merchant,
shows that between 1519-27 he bought fabrics in
Ipswich, Hadleigh, Bildeston, Boxford, Nayland and
Stoke by Nayland.
But after 1550, a new world dawned. The broadcloth
industry declined because of changes in fashion and
the shrinkage of traditional markets, and the number
of clothiers generally declined. The one exception
was Hadleigh which remained a vigorous centre
of broadcloth production: the names of at least 81
clothiers are known for that town in the period 1558-
1640. The main reason for the general decline was
that newer textiles were coming into fashion, fostered
Once the recession had passed, the later 15th and
early 16th centuries proved to be the most prosperous
period of all for the Suffolk cloth trade. This was truly
a boom time, and the wealth then generated has left
a clear mark on many of the region’s perpendicular
parish churches, guildhalls and timber-framed domestic
buildings. However, in this connection we must not
be seduced by guide books which talk so glibly of
‘wool churches’. The wealth created by this industry
came from cloth, not from wool itself. If we must use
such shorthand, it would be more accurate to speak
of ‘cloth churches’. But that too is to disregard the
economic contribution of local crafts, retailing of
all kinds and, above all, the farming which always
remained the basis of most people’s lives.
Ulnage accounts are important documentary sources in
the 15th century. The ulnager was a royally appointed
official responsible for putting a seal of approval on
each whole cloth in return for a ½d, and at the same
time levying a tax of 4d. The accounts are patchy in
survival, and the system needed extensive reform in
1465. Nevertheless they can be remarkably revealing
at parish level, because they list places, clothiers,
the number of cloths presented for sealing, and the
amounts of tax paid. Nicholas Amor has calculated
that, in the period 1465-69, the ulnager was presented
with over 20,000 cloths by 577 Suffolk clothiers. In
the year 1465-66 alone, Lavenham produced 990
cloths, Bildeston 812, Hadleigh 727, Bury St Edmunds
494, Melford 386 and Sudbury 312. These figures are
probably underestimates, but are sufficient to show, in
Bailey’s judgement, that ‘Suffolk had risen to become
England’s pre-eminent textile manufacturing county’.
In the following twelve years the trade concentrated
into the hands of fewer clothiers, and this was a trend
which went even further by the 1520s.
The local fabrics of this period are often called
the Old Draperies, to distinguish them from those
which became fashionable from the mid-16th
century onwards. They still included dozens, straits
and kerseys, with ‘vesses’ and ‘handywarps’, but
increasingly the main product was ‘broadcloth’, a
heavier material made of short-fibred wool imported
from limestone areas in, for example, Northamptonshire
and Lincolnshire. A broadcloth measured 28 yd 28 in
long by 5 ft 3 in wide, and in the early Tudor period
cost about £3. Its making demanded wide looms, each
operated by two people. The result was a textile of
middling quality which wore well, but could not equal
the finest English cloth or the most luxurious fabrics of
Flanders. Some broadcloth was intended for English
consumption, but most of it was exported to overseas
markets in the Baltic and Russia, south-western
France, Spain and the Mediterranean including North
Africa, Turkey and the Near East. To a remarkable
degree, Suffolk was part of a huge trading zone across
Europe and beyond. Inevitably, as happened earlier,
wars and diplomatic crises could disrupt the trade and
lead to slumps, and they in turn could lead to unrest and
even violence. In 1525 about 4,000 unemployed workers
from the Sudbury and Lavenham area rose in protest,
and a major revolt was defused only by the prompt
intervention of the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk. Another
bad slump followed in 1528 during a trade war with
Burgundy, when clothiers threatened to lay off
their workers.
In making cloth, women and children usually spun the
yarn and men worked the looms. Subsidiary processes
included wool-sorting, carding (combing) the raw wool,
shearing (expertly cutting the nap of the cloth) and
cloth-finishing. Such ‘out-work’ was done in people’s
own homes or in their outbuildings and yards. The
only processes in the trade which necessitated special
premises were fulling (cleaning the natural oils from the
wool) and dyeing either the wool or the cloth; both of
these demanded a reliable water supply, and in the
case of dye-houses the facilities were often shared.
The home-based character of the industry is the reason
why the mediaeval cloth trade has left very little industrial
archaeology; too much is subsumed into the domestic
scene. For as long as they were self-employed, the
workers probably used their own equipment, some of
which (like spinning wheels and warping frames) was
relatively cheap. In the second half of the 15th century,
however, workers tended to become mere wage-earners,
Sufolk’s Cloth Industry: A History
done on special looms, and was mainly the province
of women. The final major development in Sudbury,
Melford and several other towns, beginning in the
1860s, was the making of matting from coconut fibre
imported from Sri Lanka and India. This was heavier
work done by men in purpose-built factories, using large
iron-framed looms and specially long shuttles. It also
involved dyeing in large vats, or bleaching with sulphuric
acid and lime. The main output was long rolls of matting
52 yards long. Other processes were still carried out at
home, such as the making of small domestic mats on
special frames, and the preparation of balls of yarn
by children.
These new industries, though quite localised, gave
welcome employment in several towns and rural
parishes in south-western Suffolk until the early part of
the 20th century. After the First World War, however,
the replacement industries were fatally undermined by
changing fashions and the introduction of new, cheaper
materials such as linoleum. Some businesses limped on
into the 1920s, but by 1930 most factories had closed.
Against the trend, Gurteens of Haverhill, who in 1865
employed over a thousand hands in making drabbetts
on steam-powered looms, continued weaving and only
ceased manufacturing a few years ago. Today the only
survivors are three firms that still weave silk in Sudbury;
their customers include National Trust properties, the
Houses of Parliament and the royal family. In 2004 a
local historian proudly described Sudbury as ‘the largest
silk manufacturing centre in Britain, if not in Europe’.
This is in stark contrast to other local towns, where
many factories belonging to the replacement industries
still survive as buildings, but are now converted into
houses, apartments or modern business premises.
Taking the broad view, the relative success of these
industrial ventures in the 19th and early-20th centuries,
with the plaiting of straw (to make hats) which was done
by large numbers of women and children, meant that
this part of Suffolk did not suffer so grievously from the
general impoverishment of rural England as it might
have done.
This brief survey should end on a human note. A weaver
of Bildeston called John Mauldons died in 1576, at an
unknown age. His probate inventory shows that he lived
in a modest house of four rooms, and had moveable
possessions worth the relatively low sum of £12. In his
chamber was a short length of broadcloth coloured
‘peucke’ (blue-black), but the weaving shop attached
to his house contained only a narrow loom and a linen
loom, with a cage for a tame bird. He could not, it
seems, have made the piece of broadcloth himself, but
got it from someone else. But whatever kinds of cloth
he wove, this was certainly not his only occupation, for
he also supported himself as a barber. His possessions
included a barber’s pot, four pairs of scissors, eight
razors, a comb and two mirrors. An additional five
cases for a barber and ‘certain instruments’ may imply
that he acted as a part-time surgeon as well, doing
tasks such as extracting teeth, lancing boils and setting
broken limbs. John was certainly literate for he owned
67 books, but many of them may only have been
pamphlets and broadsheets. The final surprise in the
inventory is ‘certain apparel for morris dancers and
other implements, with the bells’. He clearly belonged
to a local dancing troupe, and indeed as the person
who stored the equipment may have been their leader.
Although his date of birth is unknown, John Mauldons
surely lived during the turbulent events of the English
reformation, which affected Bildeston as they did all
English parish communities. It is therefore inconceivable
that this man was untouched by the religious
controversies of his day, especially as he was a reader.
He also lived at a time when the broadcloth industry
was declining and the New Draperies were taking root.
However much John had been afflicted by religious,
financial and other anxieties, we can be sure that he
had worked to the sound of bird-song and enjoyed
much cheerful entertainment in the company of his
friends and neighbours.
by Dutch immigrants who fled to eastern England
to escape Spanish persecution. The so-called New
Draperies were more varied, lighter, brighter and
cheaper than the Old; they had a multitude of names
and were made of longer and coarser wool which was
readily available within the East Anglian region. They
also gave welcome full-time and part-time employment
to armies of wool-sorters, combers and spinners at a
time when the population was rising and the problem
of poverty was becoming desperate. The centres of
manufacture were Colchester, Braintree and Norwich,
but their ideas spread out to smaller towns and rural
areas. By the late 17th century, Sudbury was the
main centre of this trade in Suffolk and noted for its
‘says’ and ‘perpetuanas’. Nayland also concentrated
on ‘bays’ and says, and Hadleigh on bays, says and
‘Turkey ware’. The makers of these fabrics occupied
roughly the same parts of south-western Suffolk as
their predecessors, but they were fewer in number and
thinner on the ground.
The New Draperies never generated the same levels
of wealth as the broadcloth industry. Even so, many
local weavers and clothiers made a good living, like
John Tarver, a worsted weaver of Lavenham, whose
inventory was worth over £400 when he died in 1696:
attached to his house were workshops containing nine
looms, an arrangement which suggests an embryonic
factory. Thomas Reynoldes, a small clothier from
Stoke-by-Clare who died in 1576, employed at least
five spinners, two weavers, three fullers, one dyer and
one shearman. Most of them probably lived in and
around Stoke, but one of the fullers lived 18 miles away
at Sawston in Cambridgeshire. As before, this new
trade was subject to cyclical slumps. For example in
the 1620s nearly 4,500 broadcloths worth £39,000
were left unsold in twenty Suffolk townships; this crisis
caused much hardship over several years.
After 1700, weaving continued in a few places
like Lavenham which was now specialising in
‘calimancoes’, and in Sudbury which produced says,
‘crape’ and ‘bunting’. It declined, however, in the
region as a whole. Such employment as remained
was chiefly preparatory: sorting and combing the raw
wool and spinning it into yarn. In the 18th century
Suffolk supplied huge quantities of yarn to the weavers
of Norwich and Colchester, and as a consequence
woolcombing and spinning were frequently mentioned
in parish records, often in connection with poverty.
Hence too the interest in St Blaise, patron saint of
woolcombers, whose festival on 3rd February was
enthusiastically celebrated in Bury, Ipswich and
Lavenham. By the end of the century, the traditional
cloth industry had all but disappeared because local
craftsmen were no longer able to compete with the
machines and factories of northern England. The old
forms of domestic industry, which had served this part
of Suffolk for at least half a millennium, contracted
hugely within a couple of generations. Only in one or
two exceptional places did the tradition survive, as at
Sudbury which was still weaving silk and woollens at
the end of the 18th century.
This, however, was not the end of the story. In the 19th
century, because the population was rising fast and the
problems of unemployment and poverty were even more
pressing, it was recognised that south-western Suffolk
had under-employed people and reserves of industrial
expertise which could still be exploited economically.
Therefore so-called ‘replacement industries’ were
introduced, which usually combined home weaving with
purpose-built factories, and depended on raw materials
imported from distant parts of the world. The parish
authorities of Glemsford led the way by attracting silk
manufacturers from Spitalfields in London, where costs
were rising sharply. In the 1820s and 1830s factories for
silk-throwsting and silk-weaving were built in Sudbury,
Lavenham and other places, using raw silk brought from
China and India. By 1874 Sudbury, for example, had
nine mills manufacturing silks, velvets and satins, and
about 250 silk looms in the town and neighbourhood.
As in other parts of England, some weavers were
housed in specially built terraces with long first-floor
windows to admit plenty of daylight. In about 1830,
John Churchyard introduced the processing of horsehair
at Melford; it later spread to Lavenham, Glemsford and
Haverhill. The hair was imported from South America
and Siberia, and was converted into stuffing and
padding (for example in mattresses and crinolines) or
woven into various kinds of seating (for example in
railway carriages). The intricate and skilled weaving was
Staple of Calais: From
1314, the Crown required
all wool for export to be
traded at a designated
market called 'the staple'.
When Calais was conquered
by the English, a group of
traders was incorporated as
the Company of the Staple
at Calais.
Strait: Half the length and
width of a broadcloth.
Tenter (also taynter):
A wooden or metal frame for
stretching and drying cloth,
and to prevent shrinking;
the cloth was attached to
the frame by L-shaped nails
(tenterhooks).
Tokens: Inscribed metal
disks issued by shops
and businesses, in order
to stimulate trade when
coinage was in short supply.
The nominal value was
guaranteed against real
money or the value of goods.
Tournay (also Tournai,
Doornik): A commune in the
Belgian province of Hainaut
in the Hautes-Pyrénées
département of SW France.
Ulnager: A royally appointed
official responsible for putting
a seal of approval on each
whole cloth and levying a tax.
Wool Towns: Although we
colloquially refer to them as
'Wool' Towns, the correct
term is 'Cloth'; silk was also
an important contributor to
the county's prosperity
(see History section).
Worsted: A woollen fabric
based on long wool and
well-twisted yarn; named
after the village of Worstead
in north-east Norfolk.
More useful definitions
visitsufolk.com/threads
visitsufolk.com/threads
Choose Suffolk would like to thank the Heritage Lottery Fund for supporting the Suffolk Threads project.
Also grateful thanks to everyone involved with the project for their help, support and cooperation.
All maps are based on Ordnance Survey Copyright mapping. All rights reserved.
Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright. Suffolk County Council Licence No.100023395 2011
© NTPL /John Millar/Paul Harris
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