The Medieval Clothier

Dr John Lee (Centre for Lifelong Learning at the University of York) will talk on The medieval Clothier, making and marketing cloth in Yorkshire

This talk will examine the medieval clothier, and his (or occasionally her) work in both the making and marketing of cloth. It explores the different processes involved in making cloth. Several of these terms are still mentioned in everyday speech, when we talk of being ‘dyed in the wool’ or ‘on tenterhooks’. Clothiers also arranged the sale of the finished cloth. Visiting town markets and fairs, they negotiated with merchants from London and occasionally even from overseas. Consequently clothiers needed a range of technical knowledge, from buying wool to dyeing, as well as marketing skills.