This is the second page of the history leaflet that comes with each of my lacy scarves.
THE LIFE OF THE FRAMEWORK KNITTER
From the start, hosiery was a capitalist based industry. Towns such as Leicester were the headquarters of Master
Hosiers, who provided the wool, rented out frames and marketed the products.
The industry developed rapidly, with the landless labouring population turning to framework knitting which they
carried out in their own homes. Entry into the trade was by apprenticeship, usually for a premium of £5.
There was for many years prosperity in the industry. Adaptions to the frame enabled new products to be made and
labour was in demand. The Napoleonic wars took men from the industry with a consequent rise in wages. The apparent
prosperity attracted many newcomers to the trade including pauper children as apprentices.
Factors causing the severe depression that started c.1810 were changes in men’s dress and the end of the
Napoleonic wars in 1815. The need for products for the army ceased, and the return of knitters from the war
swelled the numbers in an overcrowded industry.
The Luddite disturbances affected the East Midlands. Frames were broken at Heathcote’s factory in Loughborough in
1816. After execution or transportation of the gang responsible, Luddism died in the area.