91Èȱ¬

Signed, sealed and delivered in a golden age of trade.

This wooden block has seen a lot of action. It is darkened by age and traces of paint and ink. It was used in 18th century Exeter to stamp a design onto the wrappers (or tillets) of bundles of cloth. It was a time when business was booming and England was growing wealthier and wealthier on the cloth trade to Europe. Exeter was one of the most important ports in England. Ships took easy access from here to France, Spain and Portugal; and round the coast to London and the Netherlands. Most of the city's population earned their living by fulling, dyeing and pressing woollen cloth, which had been woven nearby.

The design on the block is carved in relief and is a mirror image, so that the imprint it makes is the right way round. It has been shaped to fit neatly into a space in a much larger printing block. The image is unique in showing someone working at their trade.

Tillet blocks like this are particularly linked to Exeter. The printing blocks were part of a complex and many-layered system of quality control. The large blocks usually show the royal coat of arms. We think the stamp was put on at the Customs House on the quay.