Clay,
It took a bit of head scratching, but I've got the gist of it. In
1660, with the end of the Protectorate and the Restoration of Charles
II, Virginia was once again seen as a source of income for the Crown.
As a result, the Governor and General Assembly had to knuckle down
and show their loyalty!! Ha! They'd gotten used to being fat and rich
and ignored by the Mother Country -- now they were suddenly expected
to send the money home again to fatten the newly reinstated Royal
coffers. If everybody in Virginia sent big orders for silk and lace
and stuff along with the tobacco sent to London to be sold, well,
that meant they had way too much left over after Charles took his
share so he'd just have to take more!! Raise the taxes!! After all,
they were just here in Virginia to work for him -- what did they need
with fancy clothes to hoe tobacco??
So the General Assembly was trying to do anything it could to get the
people to stop ordering extravagant goods from England until the King
stopped paying attention.
By the time Williamsburg was the Capitol everybody was back to
wearing lace and ordering loads from England of the very latest
fashion. Remember, Williamsburg fashion was know for being only a few
months behind the very latest in London. If the latest lace and the
patterns for the latest lace arrived on the same ship, which do you
think would sell first?
Su
Williamsburg, VA
On Jul 17, 2010, at 8:59 PM, Clay Blackwell wrote:
I find that 1662 law in Virginia to be quite interesting!! Of
particular interest is the fact that the research in Colonial
Williamsburg (a heavily endowed organization which recreates the
17th century life in that town... then the Capitol of Virginia)
indicates that there has never been any archival indication of the
existence of lacemaking in Williamsburg during that time, and
therefore there is never any demonstration of the art of lacemaking
in the historical village - which has always made me sad. Now I
have a clue... there may have been a very good reason (legally,
but not rationally!!). I would also like to know if this law was
ever repealed.
Clay
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