One of the first great moments of early English industrial development was the introduction of mechanized fulling mills for wool in the 1200s. Previously this process was done by foot! Carus-Wilson in her MEDIEVAL MERCHANT VENTURERS has a chapter dedicated to this real industrial Revolution and a member of the Carpenter family gets a good share of the glory. Let me quote: “The fulling mills on the lay estates for which the early records survive are, not unnaturally, those of the king himself. One of the first royal mills was near Marlborough, at Elcot. This was in existence in the reign of John and was rebuilt by the king,s orders in 1237. The task was intrusted to William de Pretsch and Vincent Carpentar’, who had workmen under them, and cost altogether L. 4, 17s, 4d. Most of the money was spent on felling and carting timber from Savernake forest; the rest on remaking the mill-pond, the weir, the mill-wheel and its enclosure, the mill-race and also the “flagella et baterella’ – probably the hammers for beating the cloth”. Vincent and Peter are what should be referred to as early engineers, experts in the repair, and no doubt the building, of wool processing mills. The Carpentar version of the surname is a giveaway of the foreign origins of Vincent. His appearance in on the English scene in the early 1200s agrees nicely with the other Flemish Carpenters, who arrived at that time to supply wool for the home market. It is interesting to see them on this level also. Fulling mills have an important chapter in later Carpenter history with the establishment of the Carpenter fulling mills on the Blackstone River in New England. The Blackstone River mills have their place in the history of the early industrialization of America. Think wool, think Carpenter! Bruce E. Carpenter