Stockings were hand knitted until the invention of the stocking frame in 1589. Its inventor was the Rev. William Lee of Calverton in Nottinghamshire.
Lee tried to obtain a charter (like a patent) from Queen Elizabeth 1 but was rejected because the first machine knit stockings were considered too coarse. Another factor being that a move away from hand knitting would mean a loss of employment for the many thousands who made a living from that work.
Rev Lee moved to France to try and promote his invention but at the time of his death had made little impression. However as more accurate engineering evolved the complex principles of mechanised knitting that he pioneered were proven and are still valid today.
Tags: knitted stockings, stocking frame, stocking manufacture
