For many centuries the woollen industry was among the most important of British industries. It was certainly the most widespread, because it was impossible to move any distance at all without seeing some evidence of the existence of this important industry. The textile manufacturer, whether he worked in the home or in a factory building, was an essential member of almost every community, for there was hardly a parish in the land that did not have its contingent of spinners and weavers, dyers and fullers. The widespread occurrence of placenames associated with woollen manufacturing bears witness to the importance of wool in the economic history of Britain.

First published in 1972, The Wool Textile Industry in Great Britain examines the aspects in the development of the wool textile industry in Britain. Some of the papers included in this book were delivered to the Anthropology section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science at the Leeds meeting in 1968.

Industrial archaeology, social and economic history, and the history of technology are combined in this study of British life.