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Black lead and bleaching - the Nottingham lace industry |
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Lace finishing
Lace finishing
© John Harlow |
Lace left the factories in the large webs of unfinished cotton or silk up to 420 inches wide and 50 yards long. From these the black lead needed to be removed, and they needed to be bleached, dyed, dressed and be subjected to a number of other processes to convert them into finished lace acceptable to the public, whether it was a one inch breadth or edging, curtain or tablecloth, or hat veiling, mittens or shawl. All finishing processes were centred in and around Nottingham and all were labour intensive.
By far the largest majority of workers employed in lace finishing were female. Conditions in the many dyeing, dressing rooms and warehouses of Nottingham were frequently singled out for criticism by the Employment Commissions of the 1800s, even though the strongest strictures were reserved for conditions among the outworkers. Tuberculosis and poor eyesight were just two of many occupational hazards.
Dyeing employed mostly males, the dressing rooms mostly female. Particular attention in the 1800s was focussed on the poor conditions in the dressing rooms which often had low ceilings and were heated to temperatures frequently above 100 degrees so that diseases incidental to those exposed to high temperatures were common.
Lace mending
© John Harlow |
Many warehouses in the Nottingham Lace Market were conversions of dwelling houses of the 1700s and working conditions were usually poor. However, even the purpose-built warehouses in the Lace Market, such as those of Thomas Adams, were criticised as being ill-ventilated and overheated. Although Adams did provide daily chapel services and he and others were praised for the dining halls and adequate toilet and washing facilities for their mostly female employees.
Words: Sheila A. Mason, BA (Hons), FRSA
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