Welsh blanket buyers guide

I have been asked on several occassions to provide some kind of guide for people looking to buy Welsh blankets. What is rare ? what is collectable ? what is old ? it can be a mine field amongst a host of different adverts , whose sellers have varying knowledge. This is by no means a definitive guide , but attempts to broadly catogorise the types of blankets that you are most likely to come across advertised on Ebay.

Tapestry blankets                                

Welsh Quilts or Carthens , different people call them different things. All are woven on a Jacquard loom, two different pieces of cloth woven togrther to form a double cloth. These blankets , the most recognisable of Welsh blankets were made across Wales from C18th. Mostly in North wales . The ones that you are most likely to see these days are relics from the 1960s` & 1970s` ( some even later ). Generic patterns such as Portcullis & Gate that were produced by a number of Mills across West Wales for the tourist Industry. The most common ones are from DERW pentrcwrt who were the largest Mill in Carmarthenshire & who operated until 1981. Some are still produced at the few surviving Mills ;Rock Mill Capel Dewi , Middle Mill sova and Tregwynt in Pembrokeshire.These are heavy blankets weighiig over 2 kilos and require dry cleaning.

Fringed blankets                             

These lovely fringed blankets or Carthens as they are known locally found their market in the 1950s`( although there are much older ones too ) with their distinctive chevron weave , banded edges and thick fringes. They were made at several mills close to Carmarthen . Elvet and Cwmgwilli amongst others.Popularly given as wedding gifts , they were sold both through the mills and at Carmarthen market.

Another commonly found example will be from one of the mills arround Pencader , llanfrihangel yr Arth and Capel Dewi. closer woven blankets in bright colours , banded ends and twisted fringes. These mills sprung up around the railway which reached Pencader fairly early in the 1870s.

Plaid blankets                               

The most commonly found Welsh blankets are the plaids and checks. traditional patterns and a vast array of colours. Most date from the 1950s` and are easy to identify by the blanket stitched ends. The earlier ones from the 1930s & `40s were machine edged. Produced in Carmarthenshire by a large number of mills , particularly Drefach Felindre which was the commercial centre for the west Wales industry.

Narrow loom blankets

These are the older , more collectable blankets . some are quite rare, particularly if they have genuine provenance.These are relics from a bygone true cottage industry. the small independent mills and weavers who supplied the local community with blankets , flannel , clothes and socks. The commercialisation of the Wool Industry at the end of the C19th with its big mills , power looms and migrants from Yorkshire set in motion the demise of the small rural weaver. Most of the narrow looms were replaced or no longer in use by 1930s` ,although a few , notably Abergwen in Pencader never changed over to the power looms before its closure in 1950s`. These wonderful blankets ( some fringed) were made in two pieces and then hand sewn together to form a larger cloth.

I hope that you have found this useful and I am always happy to answer questions from buyers.

I would recommend that you buy from sellers that demonstrate a  genuine knowledge about what they are selling. Always use Moth protection.

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