Kersey (cloth)

History

It derives its name from kersey yarn and ultimately from the village of Kersey, Suffolk, having presumably originated in that region. However the cloth was made in many places. It was being woven as early as 1262 in Andover, Hampshire, where regulations prohibited the inclusion of Spanish wool in kerseys. By 1475, the West Riding of Yorkshire including Calderdale was also a major producer, while Devon and Somerset were major producers and exporters until the manufacture later moved to serge making. Kersey was a lighter weight cloth than broadcloth. English kerseys were widely exported to central Europe and other places: a surviving business letter from the end of the 16th century recommends trading kerseys for good wine on the Canary Islands.

Description

Kersey yarns were spun in large gauges (thicknesses) from inferior carded wool, and made thick and sturdy cloth. Kersey was a warp-backed, twill-weave cloth woven on a four-treadle loom.

The back of the cloth was napped and shorn after fulling, producing a dense, warm fabric with a smooth back.

References

References

1. Eric Kerridge. (1985). "Textile Manufactures in Early Modern England". Manchester Univ. Press.
2. D. C. Coleman, ''The Economy of England 1450-1750'' (Oxford University Press, 1977), 53-4 77 78.
3. Letter dated June 26th, 1578, from John Withal in [[Santos (São Paulo). Santos]], Brazil, to Mr Richard Staper, excerpted in [[Richard Hakluyt]] (ed. [[Jack Beeching]]), ''Voyages and Discoveries'', (Penguin Press, 1972) 196.