Understand
Paisley was founded about 800 years ago around an Abbey. It was favoured by the Kings of Scotland, several of whom are buried in the Abbey grounds. The town's wealth grew largely on the textile industry. With the industrial revolution, Paisley expanded rapidly. Large textile factories and thread works run by Coats and Clark provided employment. The town became famous of a particular style of intricately woven Persian pattern on cotton shawls. This pattern is widely know as 'Paisley' to the present day.