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The Wool Industry in Llanelli

and the Surrounding District

1098 The Cistercians were a group of monks who broke away from the Benedictine Order in 1098. They were extremely efficient farmers who were committed to both arable farming and sheep rearing.

12th century The monks who arrived from Europe in the 12th century were the entrepreneurs of their time, in the forefront of scientific farming and many of their farming activities were geared to take advantage of lucrative European markets.

13th century By the end of the 13th century the monks owned vast estates devoted to sheep rearing and crop growing. Records show that as early as 1200 the high quality wool that they produced was finding its way to markets in Flanders and Italy.

14th century Monks planned and financed all their commercial enterprises themselves but they employed lay brothers to carry out the manual labour required for their farming activities. During the time of the plague (the Black Death) in 1349 at least a third of the population of Wales died, and so the monks found it difficult to find workers to carry out the manual labour. The shortage of labour led to the Cistercians selling or renting land to local farmers or businessmen.

Records suggest that during the time of the Black Death there were fulling mills situated on the River Dulais at Stradey, the River Lliedi at Llanelli (and possibly Felinfoel) and on the River Morlais at Troserch near Llangennech.

15th & 16th centuries The disastrous effects of the plague and other factors led to the breakdown of the old manorial system which was, in turn, broken down still further by the Tudors. The first of the Tudor kings to be involved with the process of breaking up the last vestiges of the manorial system was Henry VII (1485-1509), who, as Henry Tudor had defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. His son Henry VIII (1509-1547) completed the process when Wales and England united by the Acts of Union were divided into Shires.

After the cessation of the old manorial system Henry set about closing the monasteries and confiscating their wealth. When monastic buildings and lands were confiscated the monks were either killed, pensioned off, or allowed to return to lay life. As a result of this policy wealthy and influential families, including the Vaughans and the Stepneys, were able to acquire vast and lucrative estates.

At this time the local communities were completely dependent on what they could produce for themselves. The local grist (grain) mill, would have been essential for grinding and milling grain used to produce oaten bread and beer, which were the staple elements in the daily diet of the time. For the privilege of having oats, corn and barley ground, the owner of the estate demanded rent and taxes from both freeholders and peasants. Equally important as the grist mill was the fulling or tucking mill, which was another valuable source of revenue. As the mills would have been powered by water wheels it was essential that they were built near a suitable supply of water.

An important piece of equipment for producing wool for weaving or knitting was a card, which was an instrument for combing wool or flax. A carder was the person who used the card and carding was the process of combing the wool.

The mills in and around Llanelli would probably have relied heavily on local villagers to do the combing and spinning. The yarn produced in this way would have been used for domestic knitting or it would have been passed to professional weavers who, in turn, would have produced woollen cloth for the home and foreign markets.

16th century By this time Llanelli, like Glamorganshire and Monmouthshire, became more industrialised and so the area did not follow the trend in the rest of Carmarthenshire and West Wales, which developed their cloth manufacturing interests. West Carmarthenshire and West Wales not only produced the cloth but they had a healthy export trade as well.

18th & 19th centuries By the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century people from the countryside began to migrate to the towns in search of work and a better lifestyle. This led to an increase in a demand for cloth and wool, which in turn, led to an increase in business for the fulling and tucking mills.

An analysis of the local census shows that during the early part of the 19th century, there was a definite increase in the number of people involved in the manufacture of cloth and wool in and around Llanelli. A snapshot view of 1841 shows that there were 7 Master Weavers in and around Llanelli, each employing 2 or 3 journeymen weavers:

3 Master Weavers in Llanelli Town;

3 Master Weavers at small woollen factories at Cwmbach & Cwmmawr (Stradey) and Felinfoel;

1 Master Weaver at Burry Port;

20-30 Weavers;

20-30 Spinners (women).

1851 By the time the 1851 census was taken the mill at Felinfoel had closed but the woollen factories at Cwmbach and Cwmmawr (Cwmbach) were still in operation and remained so until the end of the 19th century. John Chalinder’s Trade Directory of 1872 lists under the section for ‘Weavers’: John Davies, Zion Row Lewis Evans, Swansea; Jenkin Hugh, Spring Gardens John Wilson, Cwmbach;

1891 The 1891 census shows that Luther Wilson was at Cwmbach Factory and Catherine Phillips, widow of John Phillips, was at Cwmmawr Factory.

20th century By the beginning of the 20th century the woollen trade in Llanelli was in decline and production shifted to the woollen mills of the Teifi Valley. These larger woollen mills specialised in producing flannel shirts and underwear for the growing number of industrial workers. There were only two Master Weavers in Llanelli Town: Thomas Nelson and James Williams. The Nelson family continued to work as weavers until the 1920s when the last member decided to become a draper. By the middle of the 20th century the local weaving industry was in complete decline when the Welsh woollen industry finally lost out to competition from the larger Yorkshire mills.

The history of local wool production going back at least six hundred years finally came to an end when the last weaving business closed around 1950.