Spitalfields, England
In 1685. Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes which meant that French Protestants were no longer safe. This resulted in about 200,000 Huguenot refugees leaving France and moving, among other places, to England. One of the places they landed was in Spitalfields. One of the things the Huguenot’s were good at was silk production. They produced silk in Spitalfields for the next 200+ years, with peaks from 1690-1760, and again from 1800-1820, but after that, the industry rapidly declined.
There were several reasons for this decline. One reason was the rise in the cotton industry, which brought with it cheaper fabrics, and ultimately a less formal style of dress. Another was a free trade treaty with France in 1860. The treaty allowed for France to send in their silks for cheaper than they could be produced in Spitalfields. This was the death knell for the silk producing trade in England. Sadly, the death of that trade meant that by the end of the 19th century, Spitalfields was considered one of the most dangerous places in the greater London area. Rampant poverty and unemployment led to desperation. In fact, this crime-ridden area was where Jack the Ripper could have been based, with two of the murders taking place in Spitalfields and all of them taking place in close proximity to this area.
The decline of the silk industry was rapidly falling when North & South was published by Elizabeth Gaskell. It is not surprising that Margaret’s mother wants her to wear silk to the Thornton’s party, as silk would have been the fabric of the gentry at the time. It would have stood in stark contrast to the cotton that the Thornton’s made. The decline of the industry could be represented in the book by the decline and death of Mrs. Hale.
https://www.ourmigrationstory.org.uk/oms/thomas-papillons-advertisement
https://www.millerharris.com/blogs/notes/the-silk-weavers-of-spitalfields
Coordinates
Longitude: -0.079393386841