Hudson Bay Blanket

[jason01]

Mr.Aspel and his roadshow was from Witney last week he held up a HB blanket ( a new one) and said a little piece about them still being made there.
As I understand it HB blankets were/are made to the order of that company for their own outlets as they do not have any outlets here I do not think you will find new ones for sale in the uk unless they have been reimported, copied, or come out of factory back door.
Having said that if blankets of the same quality are available made by a different maufacturer why not get one of those, unles the label means so much

Not so much the label that is interesting as the design. I dont want one to take bushcrafting or to make a capote out of, would be nice to have a HBC point blanket though, looking around that qualkity of blanket is not going to be cheap whether HBC or not, but I dont really want a salmon coloured blanket with satin edging

 

[tomtom]

http://www.woolrich.com/ are the people adviced by the HBC but http://www.duluthpack.com/ have them too.. neither are what you would call cheap!

 

[jason01]

Maybe we should approach Atkinsons with a group buy suggestion I think I can guess their reply though!

 

[innocent bystander]

You can get point blankets here, but they ain't cheap. And they're copies anyway...

 

[Martyn]

http://www.woolrich.com/ are the people adviced by the HBC but http://www.duluthpack.com/ have them too.. neither are what you would call cheap!

Mate, you are talking $300 USD for a 4 point.

Add on at least $50 for shipping (10 lbs in weight) = $350, then add 8% for duty = $378, then add 17.5% VAT = $444.15

That's an expensive blanket.

How about conbtacting HBC and asking if there are any outlets in England?

 

[jason01]

The wierd thing is, Atkinsons in Yorkshire claim they have been supplying HBC with their point Blankets for 30 years yet Erleys of Witney have only been closed since 2002. Atkinsons also state that they make them under licence to HBC and while they sell their own range of stuff to Harrods etc and direct through an online catalogue the HBC point blankets appear to be only available through HBC in Canada.

I'll give Atkinsons a call tomorrow on the off chance! You never know, they might have some unlabelled 2nds lying around

 

[innocent bystander]

I've just emailed HBC to ask them about there apparent lack of availability in the UK. Sad when you think they're made here, that you can't get them here...

 

[Longstrider]

The Identity Store in Northampton sell these I think. Not sure if they are Hudson Bay or Witneys, but I know I quickly found something else to look at when I saw the price of the things!

 

[pierre girard]

Still not sure from reading all this if they are or are not available here in the UK and of British manufacture? The ones offered by Woolrich and LL Bean are very unlikely to have be imported from this wee Isle.

Cheers

While I'm sure I don't know all the ins and outs of this, Hudson Bay Blankets were traditionally made by Earlys of Whitney - in England - and transported to Canada where they were fulled by the Hudsons Bay Co. - who then applied their patch.

I've purchased HBC blankets from Woolrich, and yes, they are the real HBC blankets, with the patch that says, "Made in England." They are not made by Woolrich.

I also have several Earlys of Whitney point blankets, which used to sell - about 15 years ago - for $98 USD. They are slightly thinner (and larger) than the HBC blankets, but are highly prized as well. The people I purchased them from did large buys from the factory in England - and had no problem moving their product in the US. In one way, the E of W blankets were nicer than the HBC blankets in that the edeges were hemmed - so the blanket edges will not unravel. The HBC blankets are not hemmed.

I guess I was hoping there would be some way to contact the factory and see about a group buy.

PG

 

[pierre girard]

If anyone gets a wild hair to buy one, the red point blankets are the most sought after (for resale), followed by the garnet (green) point blankets. White backrounds with colored stripes are also much sought after.

The candy striper is the least sought after - as they are a more recent (possibly even 20th century) design.

There are also some very old designs (non point blanket), such as the lachine, and the Ingenious, both of which may harken back to original French Regime designs copied by the HBC after the 1750s.

These E of W, now run about $150, USD, for a four point in the US:

http://www.nwtrader.com/

PG

 

[Buckshot]

There was a fire in the now derelict E of W factory building the other day. Big fire , according to the news ' Smoke could be seen from all over the Witney area'.
It's about to be knocked down for housing anyway.

No more new Witney blankets any more.

 

[jason01]

Just had a chat with a nice lady in the sales department at Atkinsons. Unfortunately due to the licence agreement with HBC they are emphatically not able to distribute them in the uk on HBC's behalf, much as they would like to. I mentioned the interest on BCUK and she said she would pass the link onto HBC. She also said that they had obtained the contract to supply the point blankets to HBC long before Erleys closed hence the statement on the Atkinson website that they have been making them for HBC for 30 years, the lady I spoke to said it had been more like 40 years and it sems there may well have been other manufacturers involved over the years, depending on which blanket manufacturer had the contract at any time.

So if we want one in the UK it seems we have to pay full price to import them

 

[Buckshot]

No more new Witney blankets any more.

Except I just went to the local farm shop and they were selling it as a horse blanket !!!
I bought it

 

[jamesdevine]

Wonder if they would be interested in making a BCUK Campfire Blanket. Like the Badges and T's it might be a good idea.

James

 

[Klenchblaize]

Sorry chaps I was VERY wrong!

www.woolrich.com do indeed import the blanket from the UK!

They offer a good selection too as can be found if you click on the drop-down "For The Home" box.

[/IMG]

Cheers

 

[Buckshot]

How does the point system work?
Is it the number of stiches per inch or the pile or weight?

Cheers

Mark

 

[innocent bystander]

How does the point system work?
Is it the number of stiches per inch or the pile or weight?

Cheers

Mark

I think it's the number and size of beaver pelts....

 

[Buckshot]

I think it's the number and size of beaver pelts....

Hmmm, kinda difficult to measure that in the UK

 

[innocent bystander]

Then again I may be wrong :

The Point System
Each blanket was graded as to weight and size using a point system. Points were identified by the indigo lines woven into the side of each blanket. A full point measured 4 - 5.5 in.; a half point measured half that length. The standard measurements for a pair of 1 point blankets was: 2 ft. 8 in. wide by 8 ft. in length; with a weight of 3 lb. 1 oz. each. Points ranged from 1 to 6, increasing by halves depending upon the size and weight of the blanket. The number of points represented the overall finished size of the blanket, not its value in terms of beaver pelts as is sometimes believed.

 

[pierre girard]

I think it's the number and size of beaver pelts....

The "cost" of trade goods varied with time and place. A blanket could be bought for one price in Montreal, while the same blanket would be more at Grand Portage (a 1000 miles of transport costs) and much more in the Athabaskan region of NW Canada.

I lifted the following from Parks Canada:

"Circumstances such as local demand, transportation costs, amount of competition and other factors mean that the actual cost of a blanket at any one time at a post needs to be determined using account books and standards of trade. For example, the prices at Moose Factory in 1784 were 1 made beaver for a 1 point blanket, 2 made beaver for a 1 1/2 point blanket, 2 1/2 made beaver for a 2 point blanket, 3 made beaver for a 2 1/2 point blanket and 4 made beaver for a 3 point blanket. Still the equation of 1 point per1 made beaver is a good rough guide to price. Blankets also came in different qualities, so points should not be taken as an exact indicator of price in all cases."

The French instituted the point system, which was taken over by the NW Company, and also by the HBCo, according to one source, in 1784, and once again borrowing from Parks Canada:

"(HBC approached) Thomas Empson of Whitney in Oxfordshire, to make up a trial order of 500 point blankets – 100 in 1, 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2 and 3 point sizes. In 1780, the first HBC point blankets were shipped to Fort Albany on James Bay, where they proved so popular that they became a standard trade item. Before long, several firms were producing this type of blanket for the HBC, North West Company and other fur trade firms.


NWCo blankets most famous blanket was a white backround with two navy blue, or dark blue stripes.

PG