Merchant Networks and Knowledge Transfer in the British Textile Trade, 1820-1840: The case of Langworthy Brothers and Co.

Appleton, Alexander (2025) Merchant Networks and Knowledge Transfer in the British Textile Trade, 1820-1840: The case of Langworthy Brothers and Co. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

This thesis looks at the importance of merchanting roles in the export of British textiles to overseas markets between 1820 and 1840 through a study of the surviving archival records of Langworthy Brothers & Co. Langworthy was a highly successful textile manufacturer and merchant firm which originated in Manchester during the early nineteenth century. During the 1820s and 1830s, Langworthy concentrated on adapting different textile product lines for overseas markets as well as importing slave-grown produce, including cotton. The Langworthy archive includes extensive items of correspondence, shipping records, cash books and receipts that provide a rich qualitative picture of the British textile trade. This work is the first in-depth study of a Manchester textile merchant firm since 1965 and bestows a fresh perspective on the merchanting aspect of the industry. It provides evidence for the significance of merchant roles, including merchant banks, Liverpool shipping firms, cotton brokers and commission agents. The thesis argues that it was a combination of strong and weak ties with these various merchant roles that allowed Manchester firms to globalise British textiles. It also reveals how information and expertise passed through these networks and produced comparative learning that gave British firms a competitive advantage in overseas markets, especially in Latin America. It was this information, combined with Manchester’s specialist suppliers, that allowed manufacturers to fine-tune products that could be successfully adapted for complex consumer demands in competitive markets. This included printing optimal patterns on products that were likely to succeed in overseas markets, or dyeing cottons in the most sought-after colours. Overall, this thesis contributes to our broader understanding of the nature of the British textile trade’s commercial success during the period between 1820 and 1840 with a specific focus on both Manchester and Latin America.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User:	Kitty Laine
Date Deposited:	04 Nov 2025 12:23
Last Modified:	04 Nov 2025 12:23
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100888
DOI:

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