Consumer credit in the clothing and textile retail trade: A study of two English provincial retailers, 1878-1914

This thesis explores, and compares, how two retailers of clothing and fabrics and their customers used credit in the decades leading up to the First World War: Hall and Spindler, a bespoke tailoring and outfitting firm in Leamington Spa, and William Heddle, a credit draper in Southend-on-Sea. Between them, they dealt with men and women from a wide spectrum of society. The thesis contributes to the historiography on credit, retailing and consumption, by shedding light on how credit was used in practice. The principal sources are the two retailers’ business records, which are held in county archives. These contain descriptions of the items that they sold, the credit they gave and how it was repaid by customers, many of whom have been traced in the decennial censuses, thus revealing their stated occupations, ages, marital status and the composition of their households. The thesis explores the trading practices of the firms in the context of what is known about tailors and drapers in late-Victorian and Edwardian England, and of the economic and retail environments of the towns in which they were located. It examines the firms’ management of credit and the economic, social and cultural aspects of their credit relations. From the perspective of their customers, it explores the access that they had to different forms of credit and types of clothing, as well as the use they made of the credit they received, paying attention to their social status, gender, age and economic dependence. The thesis draws conclusions about how the two retailers managed the risks that credit involved, and how their retail practices compared with contemporary depictions of their trades. It finds that credit trading was problematic for both of them but that, in different ways, they harnessed it to sustain their businesses. In both cases, customer loyalty emerges as key to the maintenance of trust, itself an essential part of credit relations. Hall and Spindler focused on particular classes of customer, especially those who were most loyal, and social connections seem to have played a part in fostering long-term associations with the firm. Heddle, on the other hand, relied mainly on his personal knowledge of customers, and on economic power to secure their loyalty. From the perspective of consumers’ access to different forms of credit and types of clothing, the thesis finds that class boundaries were less rigid than some historians have suggested. It also uncovers significant differences in the gendered use of credit that challenge contemporary portrayals of working-class women, and also reveal the lengths to which many men were prepared to go to be well turned out. The thesis also reveals age-related differences in the use of credit, which suggest that new clothes became less of a priority for men in middle age and, for many men and women from the working classes, far less affordable. It also finds that the reckless use of credit by some young men was related to their economic dependence, adding to findings by historians who have associated such use solely with an elite social background. By focusing on the practical workings of credit, the thesis seeks to provide a nuanced and detailed study of its nature and use by retailers and their customers in late-Victorian and Edwardian provincial England.

Citation

Gray, N.J. (2025) Consumer credit in the clothing and textile retail trade: A study of two English provincial retailers, 1878-1914. University of Wolverhampton. https://wlv.openrepository.com/handle/2436/625961

Publisher

University of Wolverhampton

URI

https://wlv.openrepository.com/handle/2436/625961

Type

Thesis or dissertation

Language

en

Description

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Collections

Theses and Dissertations