Alnazh or olnazh ( fr. Aene - "elbow": the name is associated with the establishment of the standard width of the cloth of the cloth in the elbows ) - in medieval England - the official supervision of quality control and size of wool fabrics.
Content
First mention
The first provision for the quality control of woolen fabrics is related to the rule of Richard I the Lionheart : “ Woolen cloth, regardless of the place of its production, must be two cubits wide and have good quality both in the middle and at the edges ”. This decree is known as the “ Assise on Measures” or the “Assiz on Cloth”.
Special Service Introduction
Article 35 of the Magna Carta again legitimizes the Assiza Cloth and the Edward I Long-Legged Board was given a special post alnazher, whose functions were to check the quality and size of each roll, and a special seal was affixed to the piece according to all criteria. The increased import of fabrics and the huge variety of their sizes led to the impossibility of setting standards, which in turn served to cancel the control of the size of the cloth in 1353.
Revision of standards and final cancellation
In the reign of Elizabeth I, in response to the emergence and a sharp increase in the production of new light cloth, the old standards were revised and in 1665 the charter was adopted, according to which the light arm service was created. This provision was made primarily to exclude deception of customers when buying cloth. The standard established in particular a cloth of thin cloth in width in one and two yards . Alnage was finally canceled in 1699.
Literature
- J. Ashley "History of Economics".
- W. Cunningham "The Growth of English Industry and Commerce" "Printed by S. P. Yakovlev", 1904