IMGR59

THE CENTRES OF PRODUCTION

nett members of any establishment gild su eh as ihc Lcathenełkn ar Cordwaimn, akhough one wbo efaimed to accrcue diii ndc in rtfro is referred to u 2 Frteman.' Probably che nade was too imali to support a sepatate gild; cven in Córdoba, in its bcyday, the numbo of gmdmtdmt was rdariveły imiIL^J In 1660 a ccnain Hugh Robinson sougbt pamusion to sodę in London having, be said, Tamed to make leitha morę bright thungold in Amsterdam'.¹ It is likeły that Robinson was steking to introducc the wood*mouId cechnkjue which, in ccnain applicanons, did make anboned gik fathas mott thowy chan the Am, hand-nunped krod. Y« alrcady in i6|l a patent had bten granted to Chrinophcr Hunc⁴ for' Ymbrodcring or HuHing [embossing] of Guilded leatha vpon severall Grounds fitt for Hangings or other Fumiturc for Hotnes'. It it intaadng that in the same ytar Sir Henry Siingsby wrotc in his Diary* of hangings for his bouse at Scriven, ncar Knaresborough: 'ye Hangings I b' of Peter Pope in Bcdnall Green - those in f Lodgen cfaambtr ue calfi skins sflwied and wrought upon w‘ a laige flowtr in blue worstett: they comc shon of f ground, having f bcaddi of a pannell of wainscot below y* and a freeze and cornish above y< Tfais would sccm to rdćr co Hangings embroiderrd in wool on silvtred (and probably stampod) leatha and could wdl be an English variation of the generał practice of stamping and pamtmg. Ii seans unlikdy that leatha mady sihtred (or gilded) and itamped, buc otherwśse unfinished, would be imported and the assumpcion is warranted that it was madę here.

In 1614 the Lord Mayor and Cotnt of Aldamen (of London) wroce to the Lords of the CoonciP stating fhac 'abour cwo years previotały one Philip Onslowe had obtained a Patent for the sole gilding and painting of leatha, pretending to be the fint inventor tof and infórming them that one Pani Dickinson, a Fittnan, had praettsed it tor two yean, and om Buckctt for ten yean, befcrt the grandng of the Patent [that ii back to about 1600]: and that Dickinson was, by orda of the Patent, restrained from osing the mistety, in which they had utisficd tfaansthts he was skilfuL The Patemec im assjgncd his Patent co two cńtzens named Higgins and Downa, who had sen for fordgn workmen from bcyond the sea. The Court, concdving it not to havc bcen the King's intention to take labour from his subjects and give it to sttangen fisched hitba 00 purpose, and bełievmg the suggotion opon which the Patem was obtained to be untroe, prayed the Council 10 intcrccde with his Majesty dther to revoke the Patent or to allow Dickinson

•Scebdow. 'SaMCff

»Msoąuoiif md Etłwudł, Dumaj tf E*gbk Ambnr, rmicd tdmm, 1954. PP- »4l md **7- Aamg ile Domenie Papai of Charles II, Robinson suicrl that be wat willing to impin hil knowlcilgc ifafJowed to M op prtama tat dtc pwp*: (w wmaod'« hom eftu wfaoao he ouy briog al good thiogs 10 light Er Hii Majorki wviet\ Wiór tnnjpirtd docs aa appar.

• Puent No. ni, 17 Juty i6jl.

• iSjó cdition, p. 5.