Bedfordshire
Natural History
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The Natural History of Bedfordshire by W. Owen
The General Magazine of Arts and Sciences, Temple Bar, 1760.
Page 3
Page three continues with the woad trade; best woad is worth 18 pounds a ton. The ancient Britons used this plant to dye their bodies "to appear the more terrible to their enemies; others think to preserve their skins from the inclemency of the weather; And by them it was called ceruleous, or sky-coloured." The author then continues with the straw hat trade in which many are employed because of the particular suitability of the whiteness and toughness of the straw. Another noted manufacture is that of Bone-lace "in which likewise they have arrived at great perfection".
The county is well inhabited and "said to be full of gentry; but it is also evident, that there are great numbers of poor".
Page last updated: 23rd January 2014