During the 17th century the ‘Stuffs’ industry grew and was refined. There were set-backs in the 1640s owing to the instabilities of the Civil War. However, the 1650 Act ‘How Norwich Stuffs Should be Made and Tried’ gave local weavers self-governing status, helped them establish standards and punish fraud. This provided a sound basis for the growth of the industry.

'Stuff’ was made from long-staple worsted yarn, combed and spun using a drop spindle. Subsidiary fibres such as linen and silk were often incorporated to give additional lustre. Typically the stuffs were light, fine and colourful. The development of textured, patterned and striped fabrics permitted the diversity that became the hall-mark of the industry. The best-known fabrics were camlets, bombazines and crapes (glossary links).

Bombazine and crape production developed from the ‘Baytrie’: fabrics woven ‘white’ and then dyed. Worsted damask was a popular fabric which imitated the elaborate floral silk fabrics of France and Italy. These and other patterned fabrics were woven on draw-looms that may have been developed in Norwich. They were often modified by the weavers themselves to achieve particular results. ‘Stuffs’ were also characterised by elaborate finishing processes such as glossing, hot–pressing and watering. These techniques allowed a succession of ‘new’ fabrics to be introduced to the new and lucrative fashion market of post-Restoration Britain.

The industry became highly specialised, with a raft of textile trades based in the north of the City (known as Norwich-over-the-Water) Here, highly-skilled worsted weavers typically operated small independent workshops employing two or three journeyman weavers. They provided the capital for the business and supervised the many processes which led to the finished fabric. Close kinship networks operated throughout the community. Much of the output went by packhorse to London to be sold by the London mercers. The wealthiest worsted weavers were a powerful group of citizens who took an active part in City government as well as lobbying for Norwich’s interests nationally.