Woolstaplers

[Beavances]

From research on Google I know a woolstapler is a person who buys wool from the producers, sorts it for its different qualities and them sells it on to those wishing to make various types of fabric - am I right in thinking this would be an independent middle man?
My research concerns someone who is listed (working in the years 1820 - 1840) in Bradford,  the heart of the woollen industry. I know the town had a  Piece Halls built there in the 1790's and later a wool exchange. My questions are   
- would a wool stapler operate from the Piece Hall or wool exchange or would they work independently? 
- when would that job have become unnecessary - as I presume that with the larger manufacturers who developed during the industrial revolution  the job would no longer be viable.

[philipsearching]

This doesn't answer your question, but does provide information on how wool was graded.  I know you can't always rely on wiki, but this article is accurate as far as it goes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_system

[stanmapstone]

From "A Dictionary of Occupational Terms" Wool Stapler (an old English term); a wholesale dealer who sells raw English wool;generally works in locality wherein wool is grown; buys from farmers at fairs; classifies wool, and sells from samples in wool exchanges, e.g. at Bradford,

Stan

[Westmoreland]

Hi
as to where he would work Wool Exchange as the piece hall was for peices of finished cloth
the Woolstapler is a very old term back in the far and distant past it was the woolstapler who collected the wool to sell on to Italy and Flanders before our weaving trade developped
To help it grow it did become law at one time that everybody had to be burried in wool
regards
westmorland

[stanmapstone]

The Burial in Wool Acts 1667 and 1678, was legislation intended to promote the wool trade, the acts were repealed in 1814.

Stan

[Beavances]

Thank you everyone - that has helped to give some clarification to my thoughts. I like to have an understanding of what was involved in people's occupations rather than simple recording what they did. Looking at the rate Bradford's population increased in the first half of 19Th century and the  number of people involved in the woollen  industry it was obviously thriving