Summary of depth topic 2 (3.4 in textbook)
Industrialisation in Ulster
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3.4 - Industrialisation in Ulster 1825-55:
Importance of the textile industry:
- Early 18th Century, north-east of Ireland was a growing heartland for textile production,
linen the most prominent
- 1715, Ulster produced two million yards of linen cloth, by the 1790s it had risen to over 40
million yards. Accounted for one third of the country’s to Britain
- Wool and cotton were also prosperous industries
- It employed a lot of people - by 1811, 50,000 involved in manufacturing of cotton
- Big contributor to the nation’s prosperity. Also had good income through exports to Britain
and the rest of the empire
- One of the most important sectors of the Irish economy
- Textile industry helped to develop a distinct merchant class who were quick to establish
trade routes - by 1920 very well established, particularly from Belfast to Liverpool
- Ships carried an array of Irish produce, biggest export was textiles - especially linen cloth
- So significant that by 1826 it was conducted principally by steamships rather than tall ships
that relied on wind
- Steamships - expensive, high coal consumption, but much quicker so more efficient
- Highlights the internal weakness of the province’s transportation system, which sometimes
held up the steamships because of cargo arriving late to the ports
- The awareness of this limitation resulted in growing demand for investment in the
province’s transportation network
- After 1828 the Belfast Chamber of Commerce devoted a significant portion of its time to
raise money for investment into roads, canals and the rail network especially
- Long term - improve communication within the province and promote industrialisation
- By aiming to create strong internal trade links, Ulster became more desirable for new
businesses to locate and for more established ones to grow
- Making these moves in the 1820s was effective timing. Took full advantage of the rapidly
expanding industrial economy of Britain and also the benefits of technological innovation
which were developing as part of the wider industrial revolution
Linen industry and expansion of Belfast:
- On a national scale, linen added considerably to the general prosperity of the country
through the export of its goods to Britain
- Great demand for Irish cloth as it was recognised as amongst the best quality available
- During this period, there was a burgeoning trade - significantly contributed to the
developing Irish economy
- Also offered small farmers the chance to supplement their agricultural income
- The few mills that existed could not keep up with the demand (due to Napoleonic wars)
- 13 new mills built between 1805 and 1809
- Farmers took up weaving during the fallow months as a means of enhancing production -
also had the positive by-product of improving their own personal incomes
- This created the cottage industry based upon the manufacture of linen
- Most of the linen production was done in Belfast - 1820 had employed more than 2,000
people within its 15 mills
- After 1825 Belfast grew even more, became known as ‘linenopolis’ - due to the River
Lagan, provided the opportunity to exploit the development of wet spinning which created a
much finer yarn for cloth making
, - Yarn could be spun in much larger quantities and returned better profit margins than cotton.
Linen could make 4 shillings a pound, cotton only 10 pence a pound
- The prospect of these better margins encouraged substantial growth within Belfast and in
turn the population increased as more people moved to the town for work in the new mills
that were quickly being established
Decline of the woollen and cotton industries:
- Linen had a notable influence upon the development of Belfast, which had quickly
transformed from a small market town into the country’s most industrialised centre during the
19th century
- Cotton and woollen industries - contributed very effectively to the prosperity of Ulster
- Between 1770 and 1824 the cotton industry had been protected by the Irish parliament,
agreements with Britain gave it a great advantage over its competitors
- The protection allowed Irish cotton spinning and weaving industries to flourish
- By 1824, this prominence began to falter and went into decline. By 1850 only 4 out of 19
spinning mills in operation in Ulster
- Traditionally this has been ascribed to a shortage on capital and the expense of coal -
production costly - led to a commercial crisis (1825) - couldn’t compete with cheaper
products in Britain
- However, coal only accounted for 2% of the total cost of production and could be offset by
the cheap labour costs prevalent in Ireland
- Rather than lacking capital for investment, cotton mill owners took the deliberate decision
to transfer their operation from cotton spinning to flax spinning for the creation of linen after
1825
Motivation for the switch:
- There was increased competition from British producers
- Invention of wet spinning made linen production more attractive
- Stock market crash in 1825 drastically affected the cotton industry in such a way that it
never really recovered
- Raw cotton cost 10p per £1 and could be sold for 18 pence when spun, flax cost 6p per £1
but could be sold for 4 shillings
- Commercial crisis (1825-26) following the decline in the British stock market hit the cotton
industry in particular because of the growth it had enjoyed during the previous 50 years
- The knock on effect was high unemployment
- Belfast 1830: there were 700 heads of household and their 3,000 dependents bordered on
the verge of starvation as a result of their inability to find work as cotton weavers
Woollen industry:
- Also suffered because of the growing competition from Britain
- Britain’s domestic woollen industry was developing so it made more sense during the
commercial crisis for Britain to safeguard its own industry rather than support Ulster’s
- 1838 Ulster’s supply of wool to Ireland had been reduced to only 14% due to the
competition (pre 1830s was supplying the majority of wool)
- The competition made great use of new technologies such as steam-powered looms, wool
could be produced in much greater quantities at lower prices than the more traditional
methods that existed in Ulster
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