Routledge - The English Woollen Industry, c.1200-c.1560

Explore the history of the English woollens industry with this Routledge research volume. This book provides the first detailed account of how England moved from a dependence on raw wool to a dominant position in the European cloth trade. By the mid-sixteenth century, English quality cloth had transformed the nation's economy through value-added production. This academic study offers a deep look at the competition between English and continental draperies. It examines the specific advantages found in both urban and rural production methods. Readers will learn about the rural clothiers who produced high-quality broadcloth at low costs, as well as the Merchant Adventurers who held a trade monopoly with the Low Countries. Through an analysis of both quality and coarse cloths, this work provides a clear picture of the economic shifts that defined early modern history.