Wearing the wool surplus

27 March 1998

Wearing the wool surplus

POLLY Williams tells the story* of the Rev

Gideon Bouyer, who was the rector of

Theddlethorpe St Helen and Willoughby, Lincs,

from 1771 to 1810. Those were hard times

with wars, transportation for minor crimes and

too much Lincoln longwool.

To deal with the latter, Rector Bouyer got

the village children spinning and helped

establish a woollen mill in Louth. He also

encouraged the wearing of wool by starting the Stuff Ball. AR

*Lincolnshire stuff by Polly Williams. Available from Louth Museum, 4 Broadbank, Louth, Lincs LN11 6EQ at £8.50 inc p&p.