Pat Hudson

Emeritus Professor of Economic History
Cardiff University

Pat Hudson is Emeritus Professor of Economic History at Cardiff University. She is currently researching the history of the woollen industry in Wales but worked on the history of the Yorkshire woollen and worsted industries, during the industrial revolution, earlier in her career.

Abstract

Reading the history of woollen manufacture from its products: some ideas for approaching the Yorkshire industry

One approach that I am applying in my current research on the history of the woollen industry in Wales, is close attention to the nature and purposes of key final products of the trade. This enables one to read history backwards from the wants and needs of consumers to the structure and fortunes of production and the nature of distribution. Although my talk I will focus upon some distinctive products of the woollen industry in Wales, I will highlight differences and parallels with the Yorkshire trade and attempt to demonstrate how the same approach might contribute to broader understanding of the industry nationally.