tour through the eastern counties of england-第25章

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principally　from　London　with　their　goods；　scarce　any　trades　are

omitted　…　goldsmiths；　toyshops；　brasiers；　turners；　milliners；

haberdashers；　hatters；　mercers；　drapers；　pewterers；　china…

warehouses；　and　in　a　word　all　trades　that　can　be　named　in　London；

with　coffee…houses；　taverns；　brandy…shops；　and　eating…houses；

innumerable；　and　all　in　tents；　and　booths；　as　above。



This　great　street　reaches　from　the　road；　which　as　I　said　goes　from

Cambridge　to　Newmarket；　turning　short　out　of　it　to　the　right

towards　the　river；　and　holds　in　a　line　near　half　a　mile　quite　down

to　the　river…side：　in　another　street　parallel　with　the　road　are

like　rows　of　booths；　but　larger；　and　more　intermingled　with

wholesale　dealers；　and　one　side；　passing　out　of　this　last　street　to

the　left　hand；　is　a　formal　great　square；　formed　by　the　largest

booths；　built　in　that　form；　and　which　they　call　the　Duddery；　whence

the　name　is　derived；　and　what　its　signification　is；　I　could　never

yet　learn；　though　I　made　all　possible　search　into　it。　　The　area　of

this　square　is　about　80　to　100　yards；　where　the　dealers　have　room

before　every　booth　to　take　down；　and　open　their　packs；　and　to　bring

in　waggons　to　load　and　unload。



This　place　is　separated；　and　peculiar　to　the　wholesale　dealers　in

the　woollen　manufacture。　　Here　the　booths　or　tents　are　of　a　vast

extent；　have　different　apartments；　and　the　quantities　of　goods　they

bring　are　so　great；　that　the　insides　of　them　look　like　another

Blackwell　Hall；　being　as　vast　warehouses　piled　up　with　goods　to　the

top。　　In　this　Duddery；　as　I　have　been　informed；　there　have　been

sold　one　hundred　thousand　pounds　worth　of　woollen　manufactures　in

less　than　a　week's　time；　besides　the　prodigious　trade　carried　on

here；　by　wholesale　men；　from　London；　and　all　parts　of　England；　who

transact　their　business　wholly　in　their　pocket…books；　and　meeting

their　chapmen　from　all　parts；　make　up　their　accounts；　receive　money

chiefly　in　bills；　and　take　orders：　These　they　say　exceed　by　far　the

sales　of　goods　actually　brought　to　the　fair；　and　delivered　in　kind；

it　being　frequent　for　the　London　wholesale　men　to　carry　back　orders

from　their　dealers　for　ten　thousand　pounds'　worth　of　goods　a　man；

and　some　much　more。　　This　especially　respects　those　people；　who

deal　in　heavy　goods；　as　wholesale　grocers；　salters；　brasiers；　iron…

merchants；　wine…merchants；　and　the　like；　but　does　not　exclude　the

dealers　in　woollen　manufactures；　and　especially　in　mercery　goods　of

all　sorts；　the　dealers　in　which　generally　manage　their　business　in

this　manner。



Here　are　clothiers　from　Halifax；　Leeds；　Wakefield　and　Huddersfield

in　Yorkshire；　and　from　Rochdale；　Bury；　etc。；　in　Lancashire；　with

vast　quantities　of　Yorkshire　cloths；　kerseys；　pennistons；　cottons；

etc。；　with　all　sorts　of　Manchester　ware；　fustiains；　and　things　made

of　cotton　wool；　of　which　the　quantity　is　so　great；　that　they　told

me　there　were　near　a　thousand　horse…packs　of　such　goods　from　that

side　of　the　country；　and　these　took　up　a　side　and　half　of　the

Duddery　at　least；　also　a　part　of　a　street　of　booths　were　taken　up

with　upholsterer's　ware；　such　as　tickings；　sackings；　kidderminster

stuffs；　blankets；　rugs；　quilts；　etc。



In　the　Duddery　I　saw　one　warehouse；　or　booth　with　six　apartments　in

it；　all　belonging　to　a　dealer　in　Norwich　stuffs　only；　and　who；　they

said；　had　there　above　twenty　thousand　pounds　value　in　those　goods；

and　no　other。



Western　goods　had　their　share　here　also；　and　several　booths　were

filled　as　full　with　serges；　duroys；　druggets；　shalloons；

cantaloons；　Devonshire　kerseys；　etc。；　from　Exeter；　Taunton；

Bristol；　and　other　parts　west；　and　some　from　London　also。



But　all　this　is　still　outdone　at　least　in　show；　by　two　articles；

which　are　the　peculiars　of　this　fair；　and　do　not　begin　till　the

other　part　of　the　fair；　that　is　to　say　for　the　woollen　manufacture

begins　to　draw　to　a　close。　　These　are　the　wool　and　the　hops；　as　for

the　hops；　there　is　scarce　any　price　fixed　for　hops　in　England；　till

they　know　how　they　sell　at　Stourbridge　fair；　the　quantity　that

appears　in　the　fair　is　indeed　prodigious；　and　they；　as　it　were；

possess　a　large　part　of　the　field　on　which　the　fair　is　kept　to

themselves；　they　are　brought　directly　from　Chelmsford　in　Essex；

from　Canterbury　and　Maidstone　in　Kent；　and　from　Farnham　in　Surrey；

besides　what　are　brought　from　London；　the　growth　of　those　and　other

places。



Enquiring　why　this　fair　should　be　thus；　of　all　other　places　in

England；　the　centre　of　that　trade；　and　so　great　a　quantity　of　so

bulky　a　commodity　be　carried　thither　so　far；　I　was　answered　by　one

thoroughly　acquainted　with　that　matter　thus：　the　hops；　said　he；　for

this　part　of　England；　grow　principally　in　the　two　counties　of

Surrey　and　Kent；　with　an　exception　only　to　the　town　of　Chelmsford

in　Essex；　and　there　are　very　few　planted　anywhere　else。



There　are　indeed　in　the　west　of　England　some　quantities　growing：　as

at　Wilton；　near　Salisbury；　at　Hereford　and　Broomsgrove；　near　Wales；

and　the　like；　but　the　quantity　is　inconsiderable；　and　the　places

remote；　so　that　none　of　them　come　to　London。



As　to　the　north　of　England；　they　formerly　used　but　few　hops　there；

their　drink　being　chiefly　pale　smooth　ale；　which　required　no　hops；

and　consequently　they　planted　no　hops　in　all　that　part　of　England；

north　of　the　Trent；　nor　did　I　ever　see　one　acre　of　hop…ground

planted　beyond　Trent　in　my　observation；　but　as　for　some　years　past；

they　not　only　brew　great　quantities　of　beer　in　the　north；　but　also

use　hops　in　the　brewing　their　ale　much　more　than　they　did　before；

so　they　all　come　south　of　Trent　to　buy　their　hops；　and　here　being

quantities　brought；　it　is　great　part　of　their　back　carriage　into

Yorkshire；　and　Northamptonshire；　Derbyshire；　Lancashire；　and　all

these　counties；　nay；　of　late；　since　the　Union；　even　to　Scotland

itself；　for　I　must　not　omit　here　also　to　mention；　that　the　river

Grant；　or　Cam；　which　runs　close　by　the　north…west　side　of　the　fair

in　its　way　from　Cambridge　to　Ely；　is　navigable；　and　that　by　this

means；　all　heavy　goods　are　brought　even　to　the　fair…field；　by　water

carriage　from　London　and　other　parts；　first　to　the　port　of　Lynn；

and　then　in　barges　up　the　Ouse；　from　the　Ouse　into　the　Cam；　and　so；

as　I　say；　to　the　very　edge　of　the　fair。



In　like　manner　great　quantities　of　heavy　goods；　and　the　hops　among

the　rest；　are　sent　from　the　fair　to　Lynn　by　water；　and　shipped

there　for　the　Humber；　to　Hull；　York；　etc。；　and　for　Newcastle…upon…

Tyne；　and　by　Newcastle；　even　to　Scotland　itself。　　Now　as　there　is

still　no　planting　of　hops　in　the　north；　though　a　great　consumption；

and　the　consumption　increasing　daily；　this；　says　my　friend；　is　one

reason　why　at　Stourbridge　fair　there　is　so　great　a　demand　for　the

hops。　　He　added；　that　besides　this；　there　were　very　few　hops；　if

any　worth　naming；　growing　in　all　the　counties　even　on　this　side

Trent；　which　were　above　forty　miles　from　London；　those　counties

depending　on　Stourbridge　fair　for　their　supply；　so　the　counties　of

Suffolk；　Norfolk；　Cambridge；　Huntingdon；　Northampton；　Lincoln；

Leicester；　Rutland；　and　even　to　Stafford；　Warwick；　and

Worcestershire；　bought　most　if　not　all　of　their　hops　at　Stourbridge

fair。



These　are　the　reasons　why　so　great　a　quantity　of　hops　are　seen　at

this　fair；　as　that　it　is　incredible；　considering；　too；　how　remote

from　this　fair　the　growth　of　them　is　as　above。



This　is　likewise　a　testimony　of　the　prodigious　resort　of　the

trading　people　of　all　parts　of　England　to　this　fair；　the　quantity

of　hops　that　have　been　sold　at　one　of　these　fairs　is　diversely

reported；　and　some　affirm　it　to　be　so　great；　that　I　dare　not　copy

after　them；　but　without　doubt　it　is　a　surprising　account；

especially　in　a　cheap　year。



The　next　article　brought　thither　is　wool；　and　this　of　several

sorts；　but　principally　fleece　wool；　out　of　Lincolnshire；　where　the

longest　staple　is　found；　the　sheep　of　those　countries　being　of　the

largest　breed。



The　buyer