Spanishmerinowools and thenouvelles draperies: an industrial transformation in the late medieval Low Countries¹

Abstract

From the seventeenth century, the world's finest wools have been those produced by descendants of the Spanish merino. During the middle ages, however, England produced Europe's finest wools. Not until the fourteenth century does a distinct merino breed appear in Spain; and, before then, 'Spanish' wools were amongst the very worst in Europe, used in the production of only the very cheapest fabrics. By the late fourteenth century, some merino wools were being used in some Italian draperies; but, in the north, long‐held historic prejudices against 'Spanish' wools hindered their introduction, especially into the Low Countries' draperies, which, because of structural changes in international trade, had become re‐oriented to manufacturing luxury woollens, most woven from the finest English wools. From the 1420s, however, disastrous changes in England's fiscal policies so increased the cost of these exported wools that many of the younger Flemish draperies, the so‐called nouvelles draperies, producing imitations of the finer woollens from the older established draperies, decided to switch to Spanish merino wools (often mixed with English wools). By the mid‐fifteenth century, the merinos had indeed improved enough in quality to rival at least the mid‐range English wools. Most of the traditional draperies, however, did not adopt merino wools until much too late, and thus, by the early sixteenth century found themselves displaced by the nouvelle draperies as the leading cloth manufacturers in the Low Countries.

Characterizing historical textiles and clothing with proteomics

“…Breeding also resulted in the development of finer wool, higher yield of wool and a wide range of wool varieties. The merino sheep, which was bred in Spain after the introduction in the 12th c. of sheep from North Africa, has some of the finest wool produced commercially today [73]. As in the past, the value of modern wool is grossly related to fiber diameter (finer fibers produce finer yarn), and to a lesser extend to other factors such as staple strength and length, crimp (waviness), and color.…”

“…As in the past, the value of modern wool is grossly related to fiber diameter (finer fibers produce finer yarn), and to a lesser extend to other factors such as staple strength and length, crimp (waviness), and color. Changes in the types and qualities of wool available at different periods in different regions have been recorded both by historians researching documentary sources [73][74] and by archaeologists working on the excavated textiles [75][76] using the distribution of fiber diameters to classify medieval wool into seven different fleece types [77].…”

Wool and cloth production in late medieval and earlyTudorEngland

“…De Poerck, Draperie , vol. 1, p. 285; Munro, ‘ “New draperies” ’, pp. 89–90; idem, ‘Medieval woollens: the western European woollen industries’, pp.…”

Distribution of English textiles in the Spanish market at the beginning of the 18thcentury

“… 20 «Most of the «New Draperies» products were hybrid worsted-woolen «stuffs» or serges, much like those produced in Hondschoote, probably the key progenitor of the English New Draperies» (Munro 2009, pp. 16-17; 2005, pp. 431-484).…”