The
Case
of
the
Weavers
,
Who
are
Petioners
,
to
be
relieved
against
a
Clause
in
the
COALE
ACT
.
THAT
Peter
du
Cloux
,
24.
November
,
1688.
pretending
himself
to
be
the
First
Maker
of
Alamodes
and
Lustrings
in
England
,
did
,
with
Clowdesly
and
Sherrard
,
procure
a
Patent
for
the
sole
making
thereof
,
as
a
new
Invention
.
The
Patentees
made
no
use
of
the
Grant
by
the
space
of
Three
Years
,
1691.
until
they
sold
the
same
to
certain
Merchants-Traders
with
France
,
and
some
Mercers
who
got
themselves
Incorporated
in
the
Year
1691.
by
the
Name
of
the
Royal
Lustring
Company
.
In
the
Year
1694.
(
A
Clause
being
incerted
in
the
Act
of
Tonnage
and
Poundage
,
1694.
to
hinder
the
Importation
of
French
Goods
,
for
encouraging
our
English
Manufacturys
)
the
Lustring
Company
,
under
the
Umbrage
of
that
Clause
,
caused
several
Quantities
of
Alamodes
and
Lustrings
,
made
by
others
,
to
be
Seized
;
which
appearing
to
be
made
in
England
,
were
restored
to
the
Owners
,
who
sold
the
same
without
Interruption
.
In
the
Year
1695.
the
Lustring
Company
did
write
a
Letter
to
the
Company
of
Weavers
,
which
the
Weavers
Company
answered
as
followeth
.
GENTLEMEN
,
Weavers
Hall
,
Decemb
.
5th
.
1695
THE
Company
of
Weavers
would
have
answered
your
Letter
sooner
,
had
not
the
extraordinary
Business
that
attends
all
Companys
,
but
especially
this
,
at
that
season
of
the
Year
,
prevented
them
.
Therefore
,
in
Answer
to
your
,
you
may
be
pleased
to
understand
,
That
the
Company
of
Weavers
do
wish
the
Royal
Lustring
Company
,
all
the
good
Success
imaginable
,
in
the
making
of
Alamodes
and
Lustring
,
so
far
as
the
making
thereof
doth
not
interfere
with
,
or
abridge
their
Members
of
their
Antient
Rights
and
Priviledges
,
which
this
Company
always
had
,
and
now
have
a
tender
Respest
unto
,
and
are
,
as
much
as
in
them
lies
,
obliged
to
maintain
and
defend
them
in
.
As
it
is
not
obvious
that
the
many
Advantages
you
daily
boast
of
to
have
procured
to
this
Nation
,
are
true
,
so
on
the
other
hand
,
some
pretend
they
can
prove
your
chiefest
Advantage
is
by
selling
of
ordinary
Goods
at
a
great
price
;
which
,
if
so
,
is
too
apparently
a
Prejudice
to
the
Publick
,
as
well
as
a
Disgrace
to
the
Manufacture
,
and
that
all
the
People
employed
by
you
they
would
employ
(
if
not
obstructed
)
with
greater
Advantage
to
the
Nation
,
and
to
the
perticular
Persons
they
would
so
employ
.
And
altho
the
Company
heretofore
apprehended
that
the
best
way
of
carrying
on
that
Manufacture
,
was
by
a
joynt
Stock
;
and
therefore
,
such
of
them
as
then
acted
,
might
give
their
own
Consents
thereto
,
and
wish
you
good
Success
therein
:
Yet
they
never
intended
,
by
any
Consent
of
theirs
,
to
abridge
any
of
their
Members
from
making
the
same
on
their
own
Acoounts
(
and
especially
such
as
could
prove
(
as
many
pretend
to
do
)
an
anticedent
Right
(
and
that
they
had
attained
to
the
full
Knowledge
in
the
Art
both
of
making
and
Lustring
the
same
,
many
Years
before
the
passing
of
your
Patent
)
which
is
evident
from
the
Clause
the
Company
caused
to
be
Incerted
in
your
Charter
:
And
you
well
know
,
that
they
declared
,
at
the
passing
thereof
,
they
could
not
give
away
the
Rights
of
their
Members
.
't
is
presumed
you
well
remember
you
formerly
acquainted
the
Company
,
That
you
had
Arrested
some
of
their
Members
,
for
making
Alamodes
and
Lustrings
contrary
(
as
you
pretended
)
to
your
Patent
,
upon
which
't
was
expected
that
a
fair
Tryal
would
have
ensued
,
touching
the
Validity
thereof
,
and
thereby
have
put
a
Period
to
the
Differences
between
your selves
and
their
Members
;
but
your
declining
the
same
,
have
given
their
Members
good
Grounds
to
conclude
your
Patent
was
not
obtained
on
such
true
and
valid
Reasons
as
were
able
to
abide
the
Decision
of
a
Court
of
Judicature
,
and
there
,
for
support
thereof
,
you
were
induced
(
with
the
like
Allegations
you
formerly
used
)
to
apply
yourselves
in
that
private
manner
to
the
last
Parliament
,
for
an
Act
to
debar
their
Members
,
from
selling
that
,
which
you
know
neither
your
Patent
nor
Charter
can
hinder
them
from
making
.
The
Company
are
as
willing
as
you
that
all
Differences
and
Misunderstandings
should
be
laid
aside
,
and
that
the
Manufacture
may
be
encouraged
and
increased
,
but
do
not
think
it
proper
to
lay
their
Hands
to
the
Plow
by
being
interested
in
your
Companys
Stock
at
any
Value
:
But
as
to
their
perticular
Members
,
they
may
act
therein
as
they
think
fit
.
GENTLEMENT
,
The
Company
cannot
let
this
Oppertunity
slip
,
without
puting
you
in
mind
how
contrary
you
act
against
your
Charter
,
not
only
by
preventing
our
Members
from
making
Alamodes
and
Lustrings
,
but
also
,
by
your
hitherto
employing
chiefly
such
as
are
not
Members
of
their
Company
.
And
since
by
your
late
Advertisement
in
the
Gazett
you
would
seem
to
reform
in
the
latter
;
yet
they
could
heartily
wish
(
for
your
own
Credits
)
you
had
performed
what
thereby
you
declared
you
would
do
,
and
not
have
given
(
as
they
too
much
fear
you
have
done
)
not
only
such
cause
of
Complaint
,
in
this
perticular
,
as
is
daily
made
against
you
,
but
also
much
Suspition
that
you
never
intended
any
more
thereby
,
other
than
to
give
an
Umbrage
to
some
unreasonable
Application
for
your
own
Advantages
,
tho
to
the
prejudice
of
the
Publick
.
If
therefore
you
would
sincerely
manifest
yourselves
to
be
for
the
real
Benefit
and
Advantage
of
the
Nation
,
and
desire
that
all
Differences
between
the
Members
of
the
Company
and
yourselves
may
amicably
be
Composed
;
't
is
the
Opinion
of
this
Company
,
you
can
make
no
better
Demonstration
thereof
than
by
pursuing
the
true
Intention
of
your
Charter
,
in
permiting
the
Members
of
this
Company
quietly
to
make
and
dispose
of
this
Manufacture
without
any
interruption
;
and
by
taking
such
effectual
Care
that
you
employ
none
,
for
the
time
to
come
,
but
such
only
as
are
Members
of
this
Company
.
By
which
you
will
obtain
the
good
Will
of
the
whole
Nation
,
and
among
them
,
perticularly
of
Gentlemen
,
you
most
humble
Servants
.
Case
Shewell
,
Clerk
to
the
Worshipful
Company
of
Weavers
,
Lond
.
The
Weavers
had
reason
to
write
as
aforesaid
,
for
that
Silks
for
Hoods
and
Scarves
were
made
time
out
of
mind
in
England
,
which
are
of
the
same
make
and
sort
of
Alamodes
and
Lustrings
as
now
pass
by
that
Name
:
And
several
Weavers
made
such
to
a
great
Degree
of
Perfection
,
before
Letters
Patents
for
the
sole
making
thereof
,
as
a
new
Invention
,
were
procured
:
And
by
Magna
Charta
,
no
Freeman
is
to
be
devested
of
his
Freehold
,
by
any
ptetending
a
Right
thereto
,
without
legal
Tryal
and
Condemnation
,
and
every
Branch
of
Mans
Trade
is
his
Freehold
,
and
none
by
force
of
the
Satute
of
Monopolys
21
Jacob
.
I.
Cap.
23.
can
pretend
a
Right
to
the
sole
making
or
selling
of
any
thing
that
any
other
could
make
or
do
before
the
Pretender
to
it
.
And
the
Petitioners
being
able
to
prove
that
several
Weavers
made
Alamodes
and
Lustrings
in
England
long
before
,
and
at
the
time
of
the
Patent
,
were
and
are
still
ready
to
try
the
Validity
thereof
:
And
further
,
the
Petitioners
can
prove
,
That
the
Patentees
,
as
well
as
the
Petitioners
,
gave
over
making
such
Goods
in
England
,
by
reason
the
Markets
here
were
over
stocked
,
until
Trade
with
France
was
prohibited
.
And
after
a
Prohibition
,
the
Petitioners
did
fall
to
work
briskly
,
and
not
any
have
discontinued
but
out
of
Fear
to
be
ruined
by
the
Lustring
Company
;
who
making
use
of
a
Clause
incerted
in
the
Coale
Act
,
for
hindring
the
Importation
of
French
Goods
,
would
hinder
above
Ten
Thousand
free
Master
Weavers
to
make
Alamodes
and
Lustrings
,
and
consequently
would
hinder
above
a
Hundred
Thousand
Persons
to
Work
;
for
the
Master
Weavers
,
their
Journey
Men
,
Servants
,
Apprentices
,
and
others
they
imploy
and
depend
on
them
,
are
so
many
at
least
in
number
.
If
all
Weavers
in
England
be
at
Liberty
to
Work
,
they
and
the
Lustring
Companys
Journeymen
Weavers
,
will
supply
England
with
Alamodes
and
Lustrings
;
and
destroy
the
Trade
of
Lyons
;
which
the
Lustring
Company
alone
cannot
do
,
for
none
of
the
Lustring
Company
are
Weavers
;
but
Captain
Le
Keux
,
and
Mr.
John
Blondell
,
and
the
Petitioners
,
are
not
for
hindring
the
Lustring
Company
to
Trade
.
Therefore
the
Petioners
hope
the
Lustring
Company
shall
in
no
wise
be
suffered
to
hinder
them
to
work
and
buy
Silks
where
they
can
have
the
same
best
and
cheapest
:
Well
knowing
London
affords
Merchants
enough
that
Trades
to
Italy
,
who
will
supply
the
English
Weavers
plentifully
.
As
for
Smugling
,
that
's
Merchants
and
Traders
Business
,
and
not
the
Business
of
Workers
and
Makers
of
Goods
in
England
;
therefore
all
Weavers
,
not
in
Confederacy
with
the
Lustring
Company
,
propose
and
have
invented
a
Mark
to
be
woven
in
the
Piece
,
to
be
cut
off
so
indented
,
while
the
Piece
is
in
the
Loom
,
and
before
it
be
cut
off
from
the
Warp
,
that
it
cannot
be
counterfeited
by
any
Smugler
;
as
will
be
demonstrated
to
this
Honourable
House
.
And
by
reason
the
Lustring
Company
represented
the
Petitioners
to
be
headed
by
,
28
Janu
.
1965.
or
with
French
Faction
:
And
that
the
Majority
of
Weavers
was
for
the
Lustring
Company
,
the
Petitioners
desired
a
Common
Hall
to
be
called
,
to
try
whether
it
was
so
or
not
,
and
One
Hundred
and
Fifty
English
Weavers
appeared
for
the
Petitioners
,
against
only
Five
for
the
Lustring
Company
,
which
plainly
shewed
that
the
Lustring
Company
and
their
Journeymen
Weavers
,
who
are
but
few
in
Number
,
would
oppress
many
Master
Weavers
,
their
Journeymen
,
Servants
,
and
Apprentices
,
&c.
Whose
Number
is
very
great
.
Therefore
Your
Petitioners
hope
to
be
Relieved
by
this
Honourable
House
against
the
Clause
in
the
Coale
Act
,
&c.