industry wales industry wales times country important industry struggled compete better funded mills north england disappeared 20th century continued demand quality welsh products wool processing includes removing wool quality spinning woven cloth finishing cloth pressing spinning weaving sheep wool dates prehistoric times wales important industry monasteries established 12th century water powered mills finish cloth enabled rapid expansion industry 13th century spinning weaving continued cottage industry early 16th century production shifted south wales mid north wales england took dominant role distributing welsh cloth 18th century strong demand cheap welsh material shipped bristol liverpool welsh ports slaves british colonies north_america west_indies industrial revolution welsh industry slow compared mills northern england railways reached mid wales 1860s brought flood cheap mass produced products destroyed local industry development opened growing market products water powered mills south west prospered world war time working wool mills industry went steady decline world war mills continue operate process sheep major social event welsh farms removed intact carefully folded easier sort different grades wool mill quality wool depends individual sheep sheep body wool taken common sheep hardy thrive cold wet conditions welsh highlands wool soft black grey red makes attractive staple length centimetres sheep prized quality produced valuable wool staple length centimetres raw wool soaked solution human water passed remove foreign matter completed process creating rolls wool called spun spinning machines introduced 19th century spun woven cloth finished washing drying pressing natural mid-19th century dyed wool dyed spun fabric dyed woven prehistoric early medieval times sheep farming wales dates prehistoric times evidence spinning weaving late prehistoric houses britain particularly later millennium finds include fabric weights bone arrangement post holes indicate supported example bronze age weaving found cave romans probably imported white breed characteristic welsh sheep today sheep time variable modern breeds carefully selected specific characteristics early days sheep wool collected sheep summer collecting tree rock excavations court important ruler 5th 6th centuries bones sheep found little spinning weaving 6th century writer thought lived wales mentioned mountains particularly suitable alternating animals refer seasonal movement flocks earliest mention britain 10th century welsh laws king pigs husband sheep wife summer pigs kept woods wife took sheep children highlands wife controlled dairy took cheese making equipment divorce remained option wales longer britain assumed woman deserved share medieval period middle ages sheep probably kept mainly milk wool meat sheep important welsh economy 12th century monasteries established wales founded monks order lord order built remote rural locations simple order expanded rapidly followed strata florida near monks granted extensive lands sheep grazing pioneers industry wales invention water powered mill later middle ages caused industrial revolution wales century preceded black death monastic landowners lords built mills eastern wales operating mill share building mill pond yard outside mill cloth stretched frames manufacturing main rural industries wales welsh cottages spinning wheel operated women parishes production personal use sale main centre new industry initially south east wales drawing sheep monasteries flocks family produced mills later established wales particularly north east valley period difficult plague heavy taxation pay war france average mills operational reduced number unsettled state country rising quality wool depended local breeds sheep 15th century south east wales produced particularly high quality wool noted excellent wool according wales specialized manufacturing coarse cloth usually hard wearing suited outer popular working men cloth places wales particularly south west northern southern guild mills operating location cloth sold locally border town markets yearly london welsh exported welsh ports bristol early 16th century cloth export mainly produced south wales shipped local ports century shift production mid wales north wales production exported tightly controlled trade welsh cloth makers lacked capital produced poor quality relatively low demand foreign trade wool thirds welsh exports west_indies american colonies found slaves productive clothed virginia stated good cotton answer best light insufficient main market demand colours limited charleston merchant ordered white green plains south_carolina negro act commended white welsh plains outlawed rich colourful materials discarded slave masters observer said purpose welsh covering poor west indies factories wales production home demand welsh cloth grew growing numbers people rural areas dependent industry finding spinning weaving gave larger stable income farming grew manufacturing centres example size 18th century decades 18th century great expansion production sales rose annually annual profit sales cloth shipped london later specialized atlantic port bristol main place welsh plains shipped atlantic time factors liverpool bristol took control trade away instead carrying cloth market towns factors came buy cloth factors extend credit poorer buy wool losing control trade port exported products worth world author wrote early days place possessed exclusively trade wales coarse kind cloth called welsh brought market held weekly dressed wool raised set people called time trade great fewer persons maintained occupation cloth sent chiefly america flanders peasants present greatest diverted channels thousand yards brought ancient coarse fine purchased monday principally enjoy branch commerce end century market ceased march company gave great room trading conducted report evans tour north wales said carried liverpool market liverpool dealers persons pay spot purchase makers assist poorer manufacturers money carry trade obliged country purchase articles small quantities farms cottages undergoing operation packed large sent liverpool london exported germany russia america industrial era 18th century transition way textile production workshops run businessmen technological revolution took longer wales england slow adoption machinery 18th century spinning home weaving village house machine mills report said chief staple nation large manufactured wool inhabitants buy quantities coarse wool mixed wool manufacture deep blue coloured cloth blankets home use apply somewhat spinning weaving supplying wearing annually send pieces blue cloth greater disposed exercise wheel parts south west inhabitants spirit industry add profits manufacture value raw material mill owners men records women mill owners wales men employees including man employees large spinning mills continued operate north 19th century example originally called mill built banks purchased mill expanded business products mills taken coast feet diameter wheel powered spinning woven cloth hand smaller feet wheel powered mill washed cloth wooden strengthen mill operation newer building mid wales spinning weaving factories built mid wales places water power available particularly upper towns size industrial towns english centres leeds lack capital factories went bankrupt trade turned steam power began yorkshire industry mills disadvantage nearby supplies coal weaving towns power parliamentary wrote makers facing competition lancashire imitation good welsh hand preferred power finer qualities experiments power newport abandoned welsh wool improved quality south devon wool best manufacture farmers especially employed agricultural labourers spinning weaving winter months noted principle total benefited county notorious mills county mainly water powered employing males females continuing grow despite competition reported engines mills nearly constantly operation town neighbourhood considerable employment number men dwellings began mail order business innovative time extremely successful london ran daily service special carry products station london mill owners invested heavily buildings steam powered machinery hoped railway reached towns access new markets fact railway caused mass produced goods northern england flood central wales called leeds wales went decline 1860s periods renewed prosperity purchased modernized factory advanced facility wales making plain coloured later industry went decline eventually manchester mills burned longer important industrial centre workers moved welsh manufacture survived reduced level 20th century montgomery area retained mills villages small towns continued northwest england took market share real speculated railway line instead connected south wales mid wales industry supported demand miners mills valley later 19th century industrial revolution valley came employ thousands river tributaries powered dozens mills sheep surrounding grassland supplied products established south wales weaving town response campaign democratic rights summer towns region founded societies convention held manufacturing declined mid wales 1860s weaving industry grew villages south west wales 1920s skilled workers moved mid wales mainly area railway opened large mills developed factories called wales wool industry village blankets products local sale export water powered factories south west completely dependent demand nearby workers preferred welsh goods compete mills northern england markets opened strengthened link rural south west industrial south industry flourished end world war high prices war time active mills mills valley hard hit drop purchasing power miners depression coal trade 1920s inter war period manufacturers adapt changes fashion forced close small clusters hand weaving survived places making quality goods said work fair living man rich number active mills dropped increasingly concentrated industrial centres invention double light caused significant growth demand welsh bought plant 1980s workers women plant closed march today commercial mills operation run small families producing traditional welsh cloth old demand products high entering industry acquired state named water powered mills open public include rock mill mill listed following active mills
Woollen industry in Wales