I would think that the worst of the poverty happened at the period when machine made lace was taking over from most of the hand made lace, so that the lace workers were paid very little for a skill no longer of value to most people. The lace dealers must have gone out of business too.
The lace makers were making lace whether they enjoyed it or not, and many must have been glad to finish with it, hence they burned their bobbins, seeing no use for them. We make lace because we enjoy it, and not all of the lace workers would. Does anyone know whether there were any fundamental differences between the handmade lace industry in Devon and that in the Eats Midlands? Kathleen In England, where it is raining yet again! I - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
