The Bower & Collier Family History
Research by Colin Bower
Silk Weavers named Collier
Visit to Silk Museum in El Paso, La Palma 10 January 2025
During a cruise to the Canary Islands, we went on an excursion which included a visit to a small silk museum where silk was still being weaved by a 500-year-old process - the only place in Europe where this method is still used:
History of Silk Weaving in the Canaries
We were shown some of the natural dyes they used including Orchilla which gives a purple colour:
The Museum had examples of garments made from the silk woven:
The 4 ladies on duty were spinning, setting up the looms and weaving:
Spinning
Setting Up Loom
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Weaving
Our guide could not date the oldest of the two looms but she thought that the one she was operating was from approx 1860.
It was extraordinary to see a process that Chris' ancestor, Charles Collier, may have used all those years ago.
It was also also interesting to see examples of dyes with which my ancestor, Henry Brecht, may have been familiar.
Colin Bower
31 January 2025
