DC Dalgliesh

[OC Richard]

Last year, 2024, Britain had the smallest quantity of sheep than at any time in history, according to records.

I'm sure you're correct. As it happens the records go back to the De Pretiis or Edict on Prices of 301 AD, a failed attempt to slow down the rampant inflation happening in the Roman Empire.

The fact that British woollens find their way into this document shows that by the fourth century the industry had made its mark on the whole Empire.

Popular throughout the Empire was the birrus Britannicus, a semi-circular woollen cloak, and the tapete or tossia Britannica a woollen rug.

The spinning and weaving of wool had a long history in Britain, well established before the Romans. Sheep's wool was the most important fibre in Roman Britain. It is suggested that wool was possibly brought in from Scotland.

There was an extensive industry producing woollen goods in East Anglia. Complete garments were produced. From the late fourth century the Roman administration controlled weaving works and textile manufacture, under the procurator gynaecii in Britannis Ventensis.

Roman Britain by Patricia Southern

So we had British woollen garments being worn in North Africa, Judea, Dacia (Romania), Germany, Spain, everywhere Roman trade occurred.

[Troglodyte]

I'm sure you're correct. As it happens the records go back to the De Pretiis or Edict on Prices of 301 AD, a failed attempt to slow down the rampant inflation happening in the Roman Empire.

The fact that British woollens find their way into this document shows that by the fourth century the industry had made its mark on the whole Empire.

Popular throughout the Empire was the birrus Britannicus, a semi-circular woollen cloak, and the tapete or tossia Britannica a woollen rug.

The spinning and weaving of wool had a long history in Britain, well established before the Romans. Sheep's wool was the most important fibre in Roman Britain. It is suggested that wool was possibly brought in from Scotland.

There was an extensive industry producing woollen goods in East Anglia. Complete garments were produced. From the late fourth century the Roman administration controlled weaving works and textile manufacture, under the procurator gynaecii in Britannis Ventensis.

Roman Britain by Patricia Southern

So we had British woollen garments being worn in North Africa, Judea, Dacia (Romania), Germany, Spain, everywhere Roman trade occurred.

Despite all this history and tradition, the sad thing is that now there are no wool processors left in Scotland - native fleece has to be sent south into England to be processed into a usable yarn.

Some of it comes back ready to use, of course, but tartan weavers Strathmore Woollens of Forfar no longer produce cloth in Scotland. Marton Mills (who does not like their cloth?) is an entirely English operation (well, Yorkshire actually, and the folk in Yorkshire think there is no more to England that their county, and call everyone else 'foreigners') and is in the heart of some of the best wool-county in the UK, for both growing and processing.

Practical commercial economics is at the botom of the UK wool-trade demise, but most of what now goes on seems bizarre and illogical. But it makes sense to someone, somewhere.