William Armes

William Armes lived in Barrack Street. Family tradition has it that the family were French weavers from L’Arme, and they established themselves as weavers in the Heigham area, where a street name commemorates the family. William is said to have woven the reversible shawl now in the Museum’s collection. His great-niece remembers as a small child, her uncle taking his finished beam off to his master’s in St Clement’s Alley, so he probably worked for C & F Bolingbroke Jones. The census records that he was also a mariner: it was common for weavers to work seasonally, and local men often worked as fishermen in the herring season.

The last of the Norwich hand loom weavers

This image of James Churchyard has come to symbolise the end of the long tradition of Norwich weavers. Although when photography came in the mid 19th century weavers would have been common-place, photographic records of the industry in Norwich are very poor. James was typical of the many weavers who worked for a variety of manufacturers. There are records of his working for Grouts, Middleton and Answorth and Clabburn, Sons & Crisp. Four of his shawls are housed in the Costume and Textiles Study Centre, Carrow House. A number of others survive in private hands. Apparently he worked mostly on Jacquard looms. He was an accomplished weaver, well able to tackle a variety of materials and patterns. The diversity of the shawls made is an indication of the large range which was still being made even at the end of the period. James Churchyard died in 1913.