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History tell
us that Silk originated in the Far East, over 4000 years ago.
The Chinese Empress
Hsi Ling (pictured left) is credited with discovering, in 2640
BC, that the cocoons of the moth BOMBYX MORI, which she found
in her groves of mulberry trees in the palace grounds, could
be unwound and spun together to produce a fine fibre.
The secret of
SERICULTURE (the cultivation of Silk) was jealously guarded within
China for 3000 years, until around 300 AD.
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So highly regarded
was Silk that it soon became greatly sought-after in the Western
world and intrepid merchant caravans made the long, arduous journey
over mountains and across deserts to bring the luxurious cloths
to market.
Silk was treated
as a valuable trading commodity by these early merchant explorers,
on a par with gold and precious stones.
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The fine clothes
and furnishings of the noblest European and Mediterranean families
were manufactured from Silk that had been carried along the Silk
Road to Venice and other busy trading ports.
In England, James
I was among the first Silk enthusiasts and in 1608 he directed
that 10,000 mulberry trees be planted across the land - but he
chose the Black Mulberry which is less suitable and slow to grow.
Later, in 1718, a John Appleton planted 2000 trees in Chelsea
Park, but this, and other, attempts failed. It was not until
1825 that John Heathcoat of Tiverton established a successful
FILATURE (Silk-reeling manufactory) and organised local rearing
of the Bombyx Mori. The enterprise flourished until the end of
the 19th century.
Although attempts
to grow mulberry trees throughout Europe were never completely
successful, several countries developed manufacturing capabilities
for turning the Silk thread into cloth. Como in northern Italy
was perhaps the first town to grow as a centre of Silk, but migration
of workers established other centres in Lyon (France) and Krefeld
(Germany) to process the raw materials into sumptuous fabrics.
With the religious
persection of the Heugenots in France during the 16th & 17th
centuries, Silk workers from Lyon and its surrounding areas travelled
north to England and set up factories London. Soon other towns
found that conditions were right for the production of Silk cloths
and centres were established in Norwich, Sudbury, Macclesfield
and Paisley.
In one notable
example, the silk-printing firm of David Evans & Co. began
life in Spitalfields but, due to increasing demand, moved to
Crayford in Kent where the water of the River Cray was ideal
for washing the Silk and for setting the dyes, and there were
broad open fields in which the Silk cloth could be laid out and
bleached in the sun.
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Only Silk is Silk
click for a review of the
properties of Silk