184
STRAW-PLAITING—A LOST ESSEX INDUSTRY.
By I. CHALKLEY GOULD, F.S.A., Vice-President, E.F.C.
[Read October 28th, 1905.]
AT the outset of my remarks I must state that Mr. Miller
Christy, our President, when writing on "Straw-Plait-
ing" for the Victoria History, derived certain information from
me, in return for which he kindly gave me details relating to the
early statistics of the plait trade in Essex, which I have used in
this paper; and I must own my indebtedness to Mr. Aylott, of
Hitchin, for much information as to the past and present trade
in his district.
References exist to the plait trade in Bedfordshire at earlier
dates, but so far as Essex is concerned it is not till the end of
the 18th century that any record appears. Then the Marquis
and Marchioness of Buckingham, living in that grand old Essex
House, Gosfield Place—endeavouring something for the welfare
of their cottage neighbours—introduced straw-plaiting to the
villagers of Gosfield.
The coarse appearance of the early efforts of the Gosfield
women hindered the sale, but their noble patrons encouraged the
workers by wearing the results of their labour, and very soon fine
work was produced; by 1806 the sales from Gosfield amounted
to £1,700 in the year, and Arthur Young, writing in 1807, was
able to refer to the village having received the greatest of
temporal blessings by the trade.1
Other Essex villagers soon adopted straw-plaiting as a
constant employment for the women and an occasional occupation
for men and boys. The Colne Valley villages and the neighbour-
hood of Bocking were homes of the trade, but, curiously enough,
it seems to have been confined to somewhat narrow limits
instead of spreading over the country.
In the palmy days of the industry women produced three-
score yards of plait in a week, selling at 7s. per score, but this
halcyon condition did not last, for the farmer, instead of almost
giving the straw away, made a business of selling it. Then too,
as more villages took up plaiting, commercial competition
increased and the earnings of the plaiters dropped, till in
1840 from 3d. to 10d. a score was all that was realized, the price
1 General View of Agriculture (1807).