The Rev William Lee resolved to mechanise the hand practice of stocking making- The result in 1589 he invented the Stocking Frame - capable of producing and entire row in the time it took an experienced knitter to form a single loop.
Lace had become the infant of the stocking trade
1641 there were less than 100 frames operating in the whole country, it was in this year that the Frame Work Knitting in Nottingham is recorded.
Transport 1700 > ?
The River Trent was most important form of transport. Although it was shallow and impeded by many obstacles (Bull Shoal in the bend at BJ), it flooded frequently creating devastation to the area. There were small ferries at Gunthorpe and Stoke Bardolph, but only a ford at BJ. 10/12 men were required to haul heavy boats up the river (towards Nottingham) It was not until 1781 we saw Nottingham Corporation seeking an Act of Parliament to allow horses to tow the barges rather than men, but they were unsuccessful in this attempt. It was pointed out that if some of the restrictions were removed, one horse could haul nearly double the weight pulled by 10/12 men - in half the time and much more cheaply - Also the horses would cause much less wear to the “haling” than the feet of 10<12 men The road from Nottingham to Grimsby passes through BJ. On North side of the River Trent and on to the Bleasby Ferry over the river and then onto Newark. The road is described as:
“No pleasant way, being in many places deep and clayey. Not affording altogether that conveniency of entertainment as you have in mind in the direct and more frequented roads”
Taxation
During the period 1660< 1670 a “Hearth Tax” was introduced. We are lead to believe that this was a means of raising revenue to pay for Cromwell’s army In theory the head of every household in the village should be included, (the families exempt from the tax , were those in poverty but they should be listed - their hearths to be described as “uncharged“).
Two lists for BJ & B show that in 1663 - 47 households were charged and 22 uncharged revealing a likely population of approx 300. In 1674 - 35 households were charges and 11 uncharged revealing a likely population of approx 200.This would show a major decrease in population, however, records are often incomplete - some 100 years later in 1796 Hearth Tax returns show a number of inhabited houses as only 35. The list would not include houses of very low rental. It is interesting to note that even later Returns Lists show the same number of “charged” houses as in 1674.
Roads and Transport
Will not have developed or improved appreciably over this period
Employment
Still predominantly agricultural
Other families living in Burton Joyce in the timeslice
John Pecke - Churchwarden - could read and write
William Stampe - could not sign his own name
Robert Padley - could not sign his own name
John Blatherwick - yeoman of Bulcote
Mary Blatherwick
Elizabeth Blatherwick
Vicars
1663 - Richard Broad
1694 - Joseph Hawkins
1699 - Thomas Tye
