"Acc. of Sir Lyonell Cranfield (now Earl of Middlesex), late Master of the Great Wardrobe, touching the funeral of Queen Anne, who died 2nd March, 1618 (i.e. 1619 N. S.). P. R. O.
About this time a complaint is made by the London tradesmen, of the influx of refugee artizans, "who keepe theire misteries to themselves, which hath made them bould of late to device engines for workinge lace, &c., and such wherein one man doth more among them than seven Englishmen can doe, soe as theire cheape sale of those commodities beggareth all our English artificers of that trade and enricheth them," which becomes "scarce tolleruble," they conclude. Cecil, in consequence, orders a census to be made in 1621. Among the traders appears "one satten lace maker."
Colchester is bitterly irate against the Dutch strangers, and complains of one "Jonas Snav, a Bay and Say maker, whose wife selleth blacke, browne, and white thredde, and all sorts of bone lace and vatuegardes, which they receive out of Holland. One Isaac Bowman, an Alyen born, a chirurgeon and merchant, selleth hoppes, bone lace, and such like, to the great grievance of the free burgesses."
A nest of refugee lace-makers, "who came out of France by reason of the late 'trobles' yet continuing," were congregated at Dover (1621-2). A list of about five-and-twenty "widows, being makers of Bone lace," is given, and then Mary Tanyer and Margarett Le Moyne, "maydens and makers of bone lace," wind up the catalogue of the Dover "Alyens."
The Maidstone authorities complain that the thread-makers' trade is much decayed by the importation of thread from Flanders.—List of Foreign Protestants resident in England. 1618-88. Printed by the Camden Society.
Jasper Mayne.
Beaumont and Fletcher.