The world-famous Spitalfields silk industry flourished until the Anglo-French war ended in 1765, then afterwards London’s skilled handloom weavers struggled to gain work. Causes included the modern water-powered mills that took silk-throwing out into the provinces; changes in late-Georgian fashion, which increasingly favoured new, convenient cotton fabrics; and a global slump in the price of silk goods. Aimed at alleviating the distressed Spitalfields weavers, the government passed the 1773 Spitalfields Act that fixed their wages and set prices for their goods, but this proved counterproductive, for manufacturers simply had their textiles woven more cheaply elsewhere, notably East Anglia and the North-West, so by the time the Act was repealed in 1825, production was well established in other locations.

The government also offered general protection to British manufacturers in 1776 by levying high duties on French woven goods, then prohibiting all woven silk imports. For 50 years this aided consolidation of the home industry and when free trade began to return in 1826, duties payable on the raw silk were reduced, fuelling rapid expansion in silk-throwing in new steam-driven mills. Yet, in some areas the surge caused markets to flood, prices to fall. Efficiency had to be improved and this meant longer working hours and worsening living conditions for silk workers and their families, prompting the Factory Acts of 1833 and 1844.

Technical advances were also significant in this era. Whereas early silks were mainly woven on narrow frames, broadloom weaving for wider pieces was adopted in towns like Congleton, Macclesfield, Derby, Braintree and Paisley in the 1790s/early 1800s. The Jacquard machine, used in Britain by 1820 for intricate handloom weaving of patterned silks, was a significant innovation, although its impact was limited rather by new techniques enabling designs to be printed on plain machine-woven silks. Power-loom weaving was introduced for broad silks in 1830, although these used mainly coarsely spun silk thread, not hand thrown, so they effectively undermined the position of traditional throwsters, as well as artisan hand-weavers.

Undoubtedly, silk production was more subject to fluctuation than that of other textiles, and yet the industry adapted and survived. While the old Spitalfields and Norwich silk centres declined, local weavers often moving away for improved work prospects, the North-West reached its peak in the 1850s. Silk--throwing prospered and the mixed fabric industry of Yorkshire boomed, bringing more affordable silk-blended materials to a wider market. The Great Exhibition of 1851 acted as a powerful stimulus and mid-Victorian taste for gleaming silk fabrics, ornate trimmings and further dress items for conspicuous display, such as specialised mourning attire, ensured a strong demand for desirable silk manufactures. {