Witney and the Witney Blanket - the Canadian connection

In September I visited Oxfordshire and we had a day out in Witney.  I had forgotten that there is a weaving connection. I was delighted to find a couple of museums and plenty of people who were willing to spend time discussing the weaving heritage of the area.

Here is a useful web site   http://www.witneyblanketstory.org.uk/wbp.asp

It is full of information and links to other sites.

Witney and District Museum

The first place we visited was the Witney and District Musem. This delightful locally run museum was crammed with memorabilia from the town. The local blanket industry was a revelation to me as I was unaware of how extensive it had been. I can remember Witney blankets from my youth. Before the days of duvets, sheets and blankets made for the time consuming task of bed making.  Blankets were so heavy!

Here is one of the museum displays.

The curator kindly took out the advertising plaque from the display case so that I could see it more clearly.  It shows a North American trapper wearing a capote coat made from a Witney blanket.

The item that particularly intrigued me was the patterned belt.

close up of the patterned belt

My interest in patterned belts was aroused.  I had not seen this type of belt before.  If anyone has more information about it I would love to find out more.

blanket showing the four lines

This close up shows a Witney blanket.  The lines are called 'points'. The number of lines on the blanket was used as an exchange rate for those people trading skins.  For example, a blanket with four points would have been worth the same as four beaver skins.
Later on the number of points was used to show the size or weight of the blanket.
The word 'point' may have been derived from the French word empointer which means to stitch or to embroider. The points are darned into the blanket near to one end.

The usual bands of colours were black, yellow, red and green and were known as the headings. The surface of the blanket was raised so that it became thicker and more about to trap air.

It was difficult to get away from this delightful museum. Run by volunteers, it is a tribute to the interest felt by local people in their heritage.

The Blanket Hall

The High Street has many fascinating buildings if you are interested in architecture. The Blanket Hall is a must-see. It also has a great tea room. For more pictures and information go to
Facebook page:   @theblankethall

The Blanket hall on the High Street, Witney

At the start of the 18th century, the Company of Witney Blanket Weavers set it up as their meeting place. All of the weavers sent blankets to the Hudson Bay Company. For over 100 years point blankets were sent to North America.

This little booklet told the story of the Witney Point Blanket

This is a view of the upstairs landing.  Note the blanket coat.  The temptation was too great.

I could not resist trying it on.  I was very surprised at the weight of the material.  It would have been very warm in inhospitable environments.


The Great Room where the company of weavers used to meet was lovely and had a number of items laid out on the table.

close up of the table display

sample book

The sample book was intriguing but no touching.  My fingers itched to turn the pages!

The Cotswolds Woollen Weavers.

Outside of Witney there is a small village, Filkins, which houses the Cotswolds Woollen Weavers. This is a commercial outlet but well worth the visit. It has a shop, coffee shop (very important!) a museum and a design studio.

the weaving store room 

This astonishing jumble of equipment is a relic of the thriving weaving industry.  It was an education rummaging through the items piled up on tables, the floor and in boxes. 

Upstairs the weaving record books are on display. Shelves and shelves of them! I wished I could have opened some of them and examined the samples from the old weaving industry.  One of the books was open. 

Here is one page of the open book. 

I can recommend Witney as a place to visit if you are interested in the history of weaving. 

Susan J Foulkes

October 2018

Update

In the Guardian Newspaper recently (20th September 2018) there was a display of photographs by Edward S Curtis which were due to be auctioned in New York in October. One picture was a Piegan lodge interior taken in 191. It is picture number 9 out of the 20 on the Guardian page.  The three  Native Americans are seated on the ground and there appears to be a pile of blankets on the floor as well. I could make out one stripe so they could be Witney blankets.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/gallery/2018/sep/20/the-north-american-indian-edward-s-curtis-in-pictures#img-9