The history of the wool trade in Tavistock
Updated: May 3
The industrial history of Tavistock is often said to have been dominated by mining. In the Middle Ages, Tavistock's status as a Stannary town made it a central point in the Dartmoor tin industry, while the discovery of rich veins of copper, cobalt, arsenic and other valuable minerals nearby led to a mining boom in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
However, another industry was perhaps just as important in driving the town's fortunes - the wool trade. Indeed, wool and cloth were so important to Tavistock that a fleece features on the town's coat of arms! Our volunteer researchers have compiled a fascinating history of the wool trade in Tavistock so you can learn more about this sometimes-forgotten aspect of the town's history.