Kersey (cloth)
Encyclopedia
Kersey is a kind of coarse woollen cloth.
It derives its name from the village of Kersey, Suffolk
, having presumably originated in that region. However the cloth was made in many places. By 1475, the West Riding of Yorkshire
including Calderdale
was also a major producer. Kersey was a lighter weight cloth than broadcloth
. English kerseys were widely exported to central Europe, and other places. For example, a business letter from the end of the 16th century recommends to trade kerseys for good wine
on the Canary Islands
.
It derives its name from the village of Kersey, Suffolk
Kersey, Suffolk
Kersey is a village and a civil parish in the Babergh district in Suffolk, in the east of England. The main street has a ford across a stream. Its principal claim to fame is that a coarse woollen cloth called Kersey cloth takes its name from it...
, having presumably originated in that region. However the cloth was made in many places. By 1475, the West Riding of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
including Calderdale
Calderdale
The Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, through which the upper part of the River Calder flows, and from which it takes its name...
was also a major producer. Kersey was a lighter weight cloth than broadcloth
Broadcloth
Broadcloth is a dense woollen cloth. Modern broadcloth can be composed of cotton, silk, or polyester, but traditionally broadcloth was made solely of wool. The dense weave lends sturdiness to the material....
. English kerseys were widely exported to central Europe, and other places. For example, a business letter from the end of the 16th century recommends to trade kerseys for good wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
on the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.