Scotlands Historical Back Bone - The Weavers of Yesteryear
your cloth that's made o woo. Ye wouldna hae your cloak neither black nor blue If it wasna for the wark o the weavers!f it wasna for the weavers, what would ye do? Ye wouldna hae In 1834 it was reported that in Scotland 800,000 people depended on hand-loom weaving for subsistence. Much of the evidence examined came from Scotland, especially Glasgow and Paisley.The reason for the large numbers employed in the weaving industry was given as the good wages earned after 1780 which, after the introduction of the fly-shuttle, had risen to nearly £100 a year. At this time weavers had risen to high places in society and many had entered the industry hoping those favourable conditions would return. The state of the industry had since been further depressed by the collapse of the Irish linen industry which produced a flood of immigrants into Scotland. Witnesses all agreed that the numbers entering hand-loom weaving should be reduced and those from Scotland said that wh...