In its early days this was very much a cottage industry – quite literally people would spin wool gathered from sheep and weave simple cloths on home-made looms. But the skill base – and the technology – began to develop and many of the family names we still have today – Weaver, Dyer, Tailor, for example – remind us of the importance of this sector. And where there were sufficient cottages and groups of people with such skill we began to see concentrations of manufacturing – for example the Flemish weavers or the lace-makers in the English Midlands. As their reputation – and the quality of their goods – grew so the basis of trading internationally in textiles and clothing was established.