Spinning
and Weaving in north County Louth.
If one looks
again (see 01 initial research) at Jane Finigan's entry on the Marchioness of
Bute Passenger List her occupation was listed as 'spinsterefs'.
That is 'spinsteress' and means a person who spins
yarn. One online index to this passenger list gave
her occupation as 'spinster' which signified a
single or unmarried woman. There were some
'spinsters' listed on this Passenger List.
With Jane Finigan, and children James, Stephen
and Patrick Finigan, were Jane Boyle, age 18 years, a
servant, and Elizabeth Boyle, age 18 years and
also a spinsterefs.
In 1796, in Ireland, a Scheme was devised, by the
Trustees of the Linen Board, to provide a Premium
(that is a type of grant aid), to encourage the
growth of flax. The aid involved the provision
of spinning wheels, looms etc.. It provided that
anyone who sowed good sound flax seed in suitable
ground between 10 March 1796 and 1 December
1796 would get, for not less than sowed:-
1 acre
- 4 spinning wheels;
3 roods - 3
spinning wheels
2 roods - 2
spinning wheels
1 rood
- 1 spinning wheel
5 acres - a loom
or spinning wheels, reels or hatchells to the value
of 50 shillings
5 acres above the
first 5 acres - a like Premium to over 5 acres.
So the Premium applied to persons who held at least
1 rood of good suitable land.
From the 57 of the 64 civil parishes listed for
County Louth, in what is generally termed the
Spinning Wheel Premium List 1796, over 3,200 persons
obtained spinning wheels etc.. It appears some civil
parishes may have been included together, for example Gernonstown in Kilsaran.
In the Carlingford Civil Parish among the 95
persons mentioned were:-
Thomas Finnigan
- 2 spinning wheels;
John Boyle - 1
spinning wheel;
Daniel Finnigan -
1 spinning wheel;
Michael Finnigan
- 1 spinning wheel.
By the 1830s spinning began to decline but may have
lasted longer in the northern part of the county
because of its closeness to Armagh and Belfast where
linen continued as an important commodity.
In 1851 a report in The Nation newspaper (page dated
18 October 1851, index 25 October 1851, www.irishnewsarchive.com) mentioned
a scheme, in the north-west of County Louth, to
revive the industry.
Click to see.
