From the late 1700s, many technological improvements were made in the manufacture of cloth. Scribbling, carding and spinning were mechanised and were now centred on mills (and increasingly cropping). Weaving was now the main process carried out in the home. This had a huge impact on the organisation of cloth production in Stroud.
The introduction of the flying shuttle in the late 1700s, enabled one man to do the work of two weavers. This method of weaving was introduced by Nathaniel Watts of Walbridge Mill, in the 1790s. From the 1800s, weaving began to be carried out in loom shops at mills. These were the first factories in the area.
From the early 1800s, cloth was produced on a much larger scale. Mills were rebuilt and extended. A new mill was constructed at Ebley Mill between 1818 and 1820. Larger waterwheels and steam engines were used to provide extra power for mill machinery. A steam engine was installed at Lodgemore Mill in 1818.
Mills became the centre for woollen production. Work that was previously carried out in people's homes was now under the control of a factory system. The adoption of power looms in mills led to a decline of domestic handloom weaving.
From January 2016, this website is managed by Stroud Local
History Society
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