Parramatta cloth
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Parramatta cloth was a cloth of the early 19th century from the town Parramatta in Australia. Initially, it was a coarse cloth produced by the inmates of Parramatta Female Factory, and used for convicts’ clothing. After 1815 the cloth was finished in a separate factory, producing a tweed of superior quality which was imitated by English producers.[1][2][3][4]
Parramatta Female Factory was a prison for female transportees, and females who had committed a crime in the Colony; the convicts were made to do various jobs, including spinning and weaving.[5] Parramatta cloth was initially a coarse low-grade cloth, also known as “factory cloth”,[3] a type of slop cloth made of wool. The Parramatta Female Factory also produced linen cloth for convicts’ clothing.[6][7][8]