DESCRIPTION:
Wool combing was a male dominated industry, although isolated spinners would comb their own wool. Combers were itinerant, travelling from village to village in search of work. The comber in this ballard has obviously travelled far with his soleless stocking and shoes. This song was recorded in 1893 in Horsham, Sussex.
In the 18th century the handcombers were an important element in the worsted trade. It appears to have been an occupation that was handed down from father to son and the woolcombers unions were strong. They were well paid and prosperous. In 1747 a handcomber earned from 12 to twenty-one shillings a week, and were among the best paid workers in the trade.
With the advent of the industrial revolution inventors were contiuously trying to come up with a combing machine. Various machines were introduced but none of them were truly successful until about the middle of the 1800s. By the 1840s woolcombing machines had seriously threatened the handcombers existence.
(Thanks to maggieblanck.com and http://etc.usf.edu/clipart)