Meaning
A craftsman who dyed cloth and yarn using natural or chemical dyes.
Description
Dyers treated raw and woven textiles with coloured dyes to produce the range of colours required by the cloth trade. The work involved preparing dye baths from natural sources such as woad, madder, weld and indigo, and later from synthetic aniline dyes introduced from the mid-19th century. Dyeing required considerable skill and knowledge of chemistry as well as physical strength to handle large quantities of wet cloth. Dyers used large quantities of water and their premises were typically located beside rivers. The trade was closely associated with the wool and textile industries.
Also Known As
Cloth Dyer, Yarn Dyer
Commonly Found In
- Census Returns
- Trade Directories
- Apprenticeship Records
- Parish Registers
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