Stroud became well known for it's high quality cloth known as broadcloth. 'Stroud Scarlet' was a high quality broadcloth that was used for making uniforms. This was in great demand for soldiers' uniforms during the Civil War, as is detailed in a letter from Charles I to Prince Rupert, 1642. Different types of cloth were exported to Turkey, North America and the Far East [Rudder 1779:61]
Broadcloth was usually a thick, high quality plain cloth made on a broad loom. It was usually 24m-26m by 1.60m. Its quality depended upon the quality of the wool used.
The manufacture of broadcloth involved many stages. These stages included:
* Preparing the wool
* Spinning and preparing the yarn
* Weaving
* Finishing
Until the 1800s, the spinning and weaving was done by hand in people's houses and cottages.
From January 2016, this website is managed by Stroud Local
History Society
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