Lace. The most ancient kind of lace is that worked bythe needle, many specimens of which are to be found amongold church furniture, being the work of nuns or the offeringof ladies of fortune to the church, but the time of its intro-duction is unknown.

The invention of knitting of lace is attributed to Barbara,the wife of Christopher Huttman, a German miner, in 15(50,about which period the mines being unproductive, the womenemployed themselves in the making of veils, and the laccwhich they manufactured, on account of the low price oflabour, soon became fashionable, and superseded the Italianlace worked with the needle. A manufacture of lace was esta-blished by Colbert, in France , in 1566. Flanders also has longbeen celebrated for its lace j an ounce of fine Flanders threadhas been sold in London for £4, which might be made intolace of the value of £40, or of ten times its weight in gold.

In 1635, Charles I. prohibited the importation of foreignpurles, cat-works, or bone-laces, or of any commodity lacedor edged therewith, at the request of the makers of thesegoods, in and near London and other parts of the realm,who, from the importation of these foreign wares, had beenreduced to great want and necessity.

After embroidery with the needle, the lace was formerlycalled point Bone-lace was a kind of thread-lace, andreceived its name from the bobbins being made of bone.