Gloving in Blandford

Although Blandford is known today for brewing and for button making in the past, gloving has also been an important industry in the town. Gloving dates back to at least the early 1700s as glover, John Creech is recorded as suffering great financial loss due to the Great Fire of Blandford in 1731. Robert & Edward Fisher in the Market Place, John Homer & Henry Edmunds in East Street and Thomas Bennett in Salisbury Street were all involved in the glove making business. The Will of John Homer, glover of Blandford Forum can be found in the National Archives.

It is reckoned in 1851 there were some 1,700 people in Dorset described as glovers. The trade employed a significant number of outworkers with many living in the villages around Blandford. This enabled women to supplement their husband’s low agricultural wage while remaining at home to look after children. This system also made economic sense as the sale of gloves was highly seasonal business much dependant on the weather. Wool was delivered to the outworkers in their homes and the finished articles were later collected. At the time of World War II, the rate of pay for a pair of glove was just around nine old pence (4p) per pair. One of the last of these agents was Edgar Harvey of West Street who would often pay his outworkers in kind, usually in the form of clothing.

In the first half of the twentieth century, despite increasing overseas competition, there were two glove making workshops in East Street and another in White Cliff Mill Street at Eagle House. This belonged to Ensor & Southcombe of Yeovil and Milborne Port amd continued to trade well into the 1950s. A common local product was a yellow string riding glove known as the Ringwood glove.

Former Blandford Town Clerk, Charles Lavington remembered Leo Jay’s glove making workshop in Oakfield Street set up after World War II. This  was located adjacent to his confectionary shop. Jay  employed a band of local ladies who produced hand knitted gloves with Reg Pike as the foreman. These gloves were sold in some of London’s major shops and were particularly used and prized by the hunting fraternity. Production continued in Oakfield Street until the early to mid 1960s.

(Illustrations: Ringwood Glove and L Jay's gloving workshop.)