Sunday 5 December 2010

Irish Knitting History - 17th and 18th Century

There were also some more Quaker Inventories
Thomas Rushworth of Athy in Co Kildare in 1675 had in his shop (among other things)
Item, for wool, tips of horn and one hide

From a farmer and merchant, William Collins from 1750. He was apparently farming and trading in wool in Shinrone in Co Offaly (then King's County) with his brother.

There was a considerable list of items which included

Wool in the house in value and salt £9 15s 6d
Combed wool part in the house and part in the hands of spinners worth if to be got in £17
Spun worsted in the house worth £28 10s
Combing rings, hutch and press and wool Tub, wheel and lossett 10s
Combers Wool Tubb 4d

(his total in goods he had were £181 14s)

this indicates that he outsourced the spinning and that there only appeared to be one listing for a type of yarn suggests that there was a single weight of yarn.

In none of the listings are mentioned knitting needles, which may not have been considered of any value or may have been considered a woman's property and perhaps handed over to a daughter or friend.

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