William Cate, weaver, 1670, Devon

[John 58]

In 1670, William Cate was a weaver in Colyton, Devon. How did he sell his product. Was there an owner of a factory or shop that he worked or would he have done, this independenly. How was his product sold. Thank you, John

[Jan1954]

Hello John,

Having a dig around on GENUKI, I found this entry about Colyton. It mentions:
It has a paper mill, a tannery, a brewery, a small foundry, and three corn mills, and formerly had a share of the woollen manufacture. . . . , which is a quote from White's Devonshire Directory 1850, where (as it just quotes odd bits) I expect there will be a bit more.

The beauty of directories is that they usually give a potted history of places and, as it mentions the woollen industry, which could well be connected to your ancestor, it would be good to research the town itself.

White's Devonshire Directory 1850 is available from Parish Chest and, although 1850 is rather later than 1670, would still provide a good background.

[John 58]

hello Jan1954 thank you for info, reviewing now. John

[John 58]

My ancestor William Cate was a weaver in Colyton, Devon 1570. I would like to find out, who was the owner of the cloth and weaving trade in Colyton and Devon. Where would I go. Thank you, John

[Jan1954]

Hello again John,

As this query is related to your original one, I have popped it across to the first thread so that all information stays together.

However, your original query states that William Cate was a weaver in 1670 and this latest one says 1570

For either date, I would suggest that you contact the Devon Record Office, who should be able to offer assistance. Please bear in mind that they are no longer open on a Monday and so you will have to wait for a couple of days for their reply.

[AnnB]

I see that Colyton have a Parish History Society - might be worth contacting them to see if they can give you any help
colytonhistory.co.uk/ (just put www in front).

Best wishes
Ann

[Coromandel]

Pamela Sharpe's 'Population and society in an East Devon parish: reproducing Colyton 1540-1840' includes much about the woollen industry. It was published by the University of Exeter Press in 2002. Parts of it can be seen on Google Books.

In the US it is distributed by the University of Chicago Press. It's not cheap ($97) but looks as if it would be invaluable if you had ancestors from Colyton.

http://www.
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/P/bo5985819.html