Wide looms at work in Toledo in 1692

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:07 +0000

During the Modern Age in the city of Toledo, the silk weaving industry stood out. From its great splendour in the 16th century, it began to decline from the last quarter of the century until its disappearance at the end of the 18th century or the beginning of the 19th century. The legislation in force and the guild’s own constrictions, added to the discrimination against artisans from other cities such as Valencia, led them to paralyse their looms in 1737 as a sign of their discontent.
As the author of the article points out, at the end of the 17th century (in 1690) there were 530 looms in operation in Toledo, falling to 500 a year later and decreasing drastically to 285 in 1692, the time of the appeal. According to testimonies of the time, the cause of this decline was the radical increase in the price of silk; for a few months this raw material did not arrive in Toledo, which forced many manufacturers to cease production directly.
Faced with this situation, the overseers of Toledo asked for methodological and technical exemptions so as not to have to adjust to the weight required for their products, alleging inconsistent guidelines such as the fact that thicker silks did not fit together well or that clothes with a smaller amount of weaving could be of higher quality. In the face of their submissions and evidence, the Board of Trade accepted their tolerance of these modifications. A year later, in 1693, the number of looms in operation rose again to 622.

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Craftsmen. Individuals and rents in Ecija in the mid-18th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:57 +0000

The growth of Ecija led it to become a town of second rank within the southern urban network, serving as a connecting element between the large cities and the rural areas. Despite the importance of the agricultural sector, where craftsmen were involved in the processing of cotton introduced at the beginning of the 18th century in the market gardens, the craftsmen made up an important group divided into nine sectors. In order to determine the overall data, the table shows the total income of each sector, taking into account the annual salaries at a rate of 120 days per year, the yield of the artisans’ shops (if any) and the machinery (mills, ovens, fulling mills, presses…). The largest contingent is that of workers in the textile sector, which represents 32.05%, followed by extractive works with 19.64% and tanneries with 12.13%. These three sub-sectors account for two thirds of the workers, although their labour importance does not exactly correspond to their contribution to the sector’s income. Despite the high level reached by the textile industry in the 17th century, during the 18th century it experienced a certain decline. During the 17th century, due to competition from foreign cloth, the textile manufactures in cities such as Seville and Cordoba moved to rural areas, free of guild restrictions, which meant that contracting conditions were freer. From the first decades of the 18th century, urban industries were reactivated thanks to the regenerated Indian trade.

The post Craftsmen. Individuals and rents in Ecija in the mid-18th century first appeared on History Lab.

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Wide looms at work in Toledo in 1692

Craftsmen. Individuals and rents in Ecija in the mid-18th century