Britannia and her Carpets. Cartouche from John Doharty’s Plan of Kidderminster of 1753.

Image courtesy of: Birmingham Central Library

Name Location Date Misc Image

ABBEY LEIX Abbey Leix, Co. Laois,formally Queens Co.Irish Midlands Eire.Situated on the mainstreet in Abbey Leix.

1904-1912 Founded by the 5th Viscount IvoRichard de Vesci the landlord ofthe area with technicalassistance of Robert Fowler the8th Earl of Ashbrook ( seeDURROW ). Not upright loomsbut knotted using Ashbrook'smethods. Made carpets for WhiteStar Line eg. MV Titanic. Todaypopularly and wrongly identifiedas DONEGAL. Merged in 1909 toform Kildare Carpet Company.Further reading - Hidden in thePile by Mairead Johnson

AXMINSTER Axminster, Devon,England

1755 established1835 Transferredplant to Wiltonand possiblyExeter.

Founded by Thomas Whitty.Axminster town had a flourishingwool trade at the time. Said tobe inspired by the Fulhamfactoryfurther information contact: Brenda Rose the current UKauthority.http://thomaswhitty.co.uk/earlycarpets.htmlhttp://www.axminsterheritage.org/article_earlyaxminster.html

John BRIGHT Ltd. Rochdale Founded 1809Made into Ltd1887

“ Tapestry and Velvet Carpetsand rug and hair carpets “C.E.C. Tattershall

BRINTONS Founded at Chaddesleyand Kidderminster.Presently at Stourport,and Kidderminster.

1783established1819 moved totown centre1856 NewFactoryconstructed byHenry Brinton &Sons1920Handknottingceased

Continuingpresentlyproducing powerlooms carpets.

Founded 1783 by WilliamBrinton. In 1836 there were 86looms farmed out aroundKidderminster prior to the newfactory construction in 1856.Employed Christopher Dresseras head of design for a spellbut were unable to sell hisdesigns apparently he wassacked from employment.In the first quarter of 20thcent. Reginald Brinton who wassaid to be artistically awaregave technical advice andprovided plant and assistedseveral small enterprises inEngland and Eire including theKildare Carpet Company. Plantand looms from Mere ( Wilton?) obtained in 1909.The company wovehandknotted carpets up to 40foot in width. Termed themas Vigorna. Woven in their 'AShed' at the Kidderminsterworks in the town centre wheretheir head office remains todayThe last reported carpet beingcommissioned for the BristolGolf Club circa 1920 afterwhich the production of handmade carpets ceased.information Beacon extract /Brinton archives Nov 2009. B/W image ( circa 1901 )courtsey of Brintonshttp://www.brintons.net/

Image courtesy Brintons

CARLISLE Westmoreland, Cumbria,England

from late 19thcent?

Further reading - Tattershall C.A History of British Carpets

CANTERBURYWeavers

Kent, Engand 1896/9 - Started as small craft studio.1901 had twenty looms - furtherreading ARTS & CRAFTSCARPETS by Malcom Haslam -assistance from Brintons (?)

John B. Champion &Sons

Dursley,Gloucestershire

1778 “ ‘Dursley ‘ reversable wool (1907 ) “ C.E.C. Tattershall

COOKE SONS &Co.Ltd

Spen Valley CarpetWorks, Liversedge,Yorkshire

1795 “ Brussels ,Wilton,Kidderminster andAxminster “ C.E.C. Tattershallnb 20th cent info

DONEGAL ( 4) Annagry, Crolly,Gweedore , Kilcar )

Co. Donegal, Eire

early 20th cent. Through the intervention of theCongested district Board in 1905they proposed to build two otherworkshops in the Rosses area atin Annagry and Crolly employingbetween 150-200 people Theyreceived a loan from the C D Bon the strength of their successin Killybegs and it's smallersatellite at Kilcar . Thedepression that followed the

1914-18 war was responsible forthe closure of the carpetfactories at Kilcar Annagry andCrolly.Kilcar is near to Killybegs.Records were destroyed around1987 but it is reported somelocal pubs feature art workscraps that were salvaged.Donegal carpet making historylink

DONEGAL - Killybegs Co. Donelal, Eire circa 1899 untilpresent

Established 1898 by AlexanderMorton a Scottish textileManufacturer who modelledproduction on 'Turkey' carpetsfrom Ushak in Western Turkey.Unlike the other workshopsaround Co.Donegal, Killybegsremained viable partly becauseit had transport connections - asea port and railway terminus.Notable early 20th centcommissions from the work ofartists and designers includeC.F.A. Voysey, Walter Crane,Mackay Baillie Scott, and JessieNewbery. The business atKillybegs went on to prosperedin the 1950s and 1960s with agood output.When it closed 1987 disastrouslythe archive was destroyed butreopened again 1999 by inconjunction with a visitors centre( which occupies the old carpetfactory building). More recentcommissions include The MusicRoom, Brighton Pavilion andDublin Castle.It remained theonly hand knotted manufacturerof carpets in Western Europeretaining a loom of 42 feet. Thebusiness is presently ( as2009/10/11 ) up for sale.Anybody interested shouldcontact Michael McDaid on + 35374 9739810http://www.orient-rug.com/rwcr_pages/misc/cr_vagaries.htmlDongela Carpet Factory - ahistory

DUN EMER Dundrum now SouthDublin , Eire

1902 - circa 1960 Dun Emer Guild founded by Lilyand Elizabeth Yeats ( sisters ofthe poet W.B. Yeats ) and EvelynGleeson. Several crafts includingcarpets of Celtic design

DURHAM / BARNARDCASTLE

Durham, England Early 20th cent Further reading - People &Patterns - the carpet weavingindustry in 19th century BarnardCastle published by the Friendsof the Bowes Museum edited byDenis Coggins.

DURROW Co. Laois, FormallyQueens Co. Irish

1901 - 1903 Founded by Robert Fowler the8th Earl of Ashbrook (1836 -

Midlands, Eire 1919). Patenter of the moveablelatch hook carpet needle in 1903( Readicut / rughooking Turkishknots ). Transferred equipment and sold rights to Abbeyleix1904.http://www.orient-rug.com/rwcr_pages/misc/cr_vagaries.html

EDINBURGH WEAVERS Edinburgh , Scotland 1928 to presentas Dovecot

Mostly tapestry and textilecommissions but may haveundertaken woven carpets.Received commissions fromMarion Dorn amongst others.Famously losing the commisionfor Coventry Cathedral tapestryto France.Now Dovecot Studios

EXETER Exeter district, Devon ,England

1755 closed 1761and then again19th cent (?)

Claude Passavent brought PeterParisot's Fulham equipment herein 1755. Possibly took loomsfrom Axminster after it's closure1835http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/inde/anderson/chap2.htm

FROME Wiltshire, England 1756 William Jesser rivalled his morefamous contemporaries atExeter, Axminster andMoorefield

PADDINGTON (?)FULHAM Peter ParisotPierre Polré

Paddington then Fulham,London

1749 then 1750and 1753 to 1755

Established at Paddington1749/50 (?) then moved toFulham 1753 by Frenchimmigrants from SavonneriePeter Parisot (?) / Pierre Polré /Louis Théu. Looms moved toExeter c.1755 to establish there.Verified example of thisproduction can be seen today atBarlow Room ( State DiningRoom ) Clandon Park, Surrey(National Trust property open topublic ).contact Caroline Stonehttp://books.google.co.uk/books?id=i3Od9bcGus0C&pg=PA183&lpg=PA183&dq=Louis+Théu+carpet+1755&source=bl&ots=wjsfWuFjZR&sig=sD0sSqSoMP3Kkb0kjUEi8zQsP-U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FskCT_PjBYiL8gPZ_fjEAQ&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Louis%20Théu%20carpet%201755&f=false

GINZKEY,MAFFERDSDORF

Established Bohemia 19/20th cent (?) Makers of Charles Voyseycarpets

HASLEMERE Surrey, England 1890s - Established Maude Egerton King/Joseph King and Ethel MaryBlount / Godfery Blount1904 Reginald Brinton (Kidderminster ) helped installlarger looms.- further reading:

1) ARTS & CRAFTS CARPETS byMalcom Haslam 2) The Lost Arts of Europe: TheHaslemere Museum Collection ofPeasant Art . edited DavidCrowley and Lou Taylor

KIDDERMINSTER(various)

1749 onward.1920 Perhapshandknottingceased withBrintons (?)Today variousfactories producepower loomgoods only.

John Broom, then a leading stuffmanufacturer. There are severalversions of how he achieved thisand it is difficult to prove any ofthem with a 100% certainty butall have more than a hint ofindustrial sabotage. He travelledto Brussels, Tournai, or Wiltonand returned with both the plansfor a new type of loom, theBrussels loom, and immigrantworkers, settling them in theMount Skipet area of the town.Whatever the truth of thesestories, Pococke, a traveller, in1751, noted that Kidderminsterwas now making carpets “thesame as Wilton” Source:www.search.revolutionaryplayers.org.ukFurther reading - Tattershall C.A History of British CarpetsMore information : The Carpet Museum TrustArchive CentreM C F Complex, 60 New Rd,Kidderminster DY10 1AQ, UnitedKingdom

KILDARE or NAAS Naas Co. Kildare, IrishMidlands, Eire

1902/1904 -1909/12

Kildare Carpet Factory foundedby Fr. Gory and Stephen Brown.Originally entitled The NaasCo-operative Home IndustriesSociety Lady Geraldine Mayo ofPalmerston was instrumental infinancing along with Brintons (Kidderminster ) who alsoprovided plant, technical adviseand distribution / marketing toEngland. Amalgamated withAbbey Leix Carpet Factory 1909led to the joint venture beingknown as The Kildare CarpetCo. Today popularly and wronglyidentified as DONEGAL.Futher reading - Hidden in thePile by Mairead Johnson.

KILMARNOCK Scotland 1831 Shortlived venture

MOORFIELDS City of London, England 1756 - 1806 (?) Thomas Moore in Moorefields     made commissions for Robert     Adam John Soane etc

http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/inde/anderson/cha

p2.htm" 

MORRIS & Co. Hammersmith Londonthen in 1881 MertonSouth London formanufacture of carpets

Co-foundedas Morris,Marshal,Faulkner &Co. 1861 - 1875continuing asMorris & Co1875 - 1939/40

http://www.morrissociety.orghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_%26_Co.http://www.wmgallery.org.uk

MORTLAKE West London, England 1619 - 1703 Mortlake Tapestry workshop butmay have produced carpets (?)Royal patronage, weaversbrought from Flanders.

MOYARD Co. Galway No info No info

OCM/ORIENTALCARPETMANUFACTURERS

established Smyrna(Izmir) & Constantinople(Istanbul)

1906 Here as a major manufacturerworldwide. Their focus was inthe orient but OCM may haveproduced domestically such wastheir reach..

OMEGASTUDIOS/BloomsburyGroup

London, England 1913 - 1919 Roger Fry co-founder insistedthat the designs were producedanonymously, bearing only theGreek letter Ω (Omega) in asquare. Vanessa Bell, DuncanGrant, Wyndham Lewis,Frederick Etchells, HenriGaudier-Brzeska and WinifredGill.

http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/exhibitions/2009/omega/Bloomsbury2.shtml

ORAGE, Jean Chelsea, London,England

1920s until 1930 Worked for William Morris from 1905then in her final year behind the shopat Oxford Street London 1916 MertonAbbey having closed.Established her weaving studio inChelsea until her retirement circa 1930making mostly tapestries and textlies .Rugs recorded from 1928 ­carpetmaking responsibilities were that of a  'wild' red haired Irish woman '.  Woverugs commissioned by McKnightKaufer , Marion Dorn, Ronald Grieson.She dyed her own materials.­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­http://thecarpetindex.blogspot.com/She worked in London as a textile designerand like the Bauhaus student produced herown textiles (Batik , flat weaves, rugs) or forothers like Marion Dorn 1925­1928 ". Info ­Jean Manuel de Noronha 2009.

PONTREMOLI Praed Street, Paddington, London

pre 1914? 1930s - 1980s

Known for hand embroideredcarpets. Knotted carpetsprobably not made (?)

SHOTTERLY Near Statford upon Avon,Warickshire England

Early 20th cent Established originally at Bushy,Hertfordshire as a weavingschool Annie Bayley moved toThe Thatched House , Shotterly.Lease taken over 1913 by EthelMairet ( 1872 - 1952 ) who hadbeen a student. Producingcarpets in 1918 Further readingsee ARTS & CRAFTS CARPETSby Malcom Haslam

SOHO London, England 17 and 18thcent(?)

Tapestry workshop/s but couldhave made carpets(?)

SHELDON Barcheston, Stratford,England

Second half16thcent.SheldonFamily

Tapestry workshop

TEMPLTONS Glasgow, Scotland Founded 1839

Sutherland &Caithness1900 to 1914(handknottingperiod )

Handknotting carpet workshopsestablished at remoteSutherland & Caithness.( Machine made carpets made inGlasgow ) Templetons Glasgow

TOMKINSON andADAM

Kidderminster, England seeKidderminsterdates.

Makers of Charles Voyseycarpets. Still active asTOMKINSONS but onlymechanised.

WILTON or( ROYAL WILTONCARPET COMPANY )

Wilton, Salisbury withsmaller subsidiary ruralworkshops in Mere,Dowton, Fordingbridge, Tisbury and briefly (?)Morgan's Vale. Otherlocations were involvedwith power looms.Southampton andRomsey.

Mill from 1655and or 1698 then1755 andre-established1835 (for handknotted carpetsrather thanBrussels type)1935 Ruralworkshopclosures /transfers begin.1960 ceased.

www.wiltshiretouristguide.com/Articles/Article_28.asp

Handknotting ceased1957/1959/1960Wiltshire Archives for RoyalWilton FactoryLast carpet made at Wilton (Main Mill ) for GuildfordCathedral 1959 installed 1960

Continues today with powerlooms as Royal Wilton CarpetCo. at another location followingtwo takeovers since 1960s andunsympathetic development tothe historic Mill site

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/results.aspx?tab=2&Page=1&ContainAllWords=2583&Repository=Wiltshire+and+Swindon+Archives

WOODWARDGROSVENOR & Co.Ltd.

1790 Kidderminster,Worcester Cross

ZIEGLER & Co .Established in Iran 1883

EstablishedManchester,Englandearly/mid 19thcent.

19th cent manufacturer andexporter of cotton goods andimporters and commissioners ofPersian carpets Also exportersof Opium from Iran to China.

nb Also see the 1934 list of Manufacturers in the rear pages 178 - 182. Although it is not specifically dedicated to handknotted manuafacturesTATTERSHALL C.E.C. ( ex V&A Museum carpet/textile Curator ) A HISTORY OF BRITISH CARPETS published 1934 publishedby F. Lewis , Benfleet

Carpet Weaver. N Whittock et al, The Complete Book of Trades (London, Marshall and Co., 1837).The image shows the type of handloom for carpet making which was used before the advent of technological change and the factory system. Image courtesy of: Birmingham Central Library

© 2012 Clive Rogers

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