Refers to a distinctive type of bobbin lace that was sold in and exported from England during a particular period of history. It refers both to genuine Brussels lace that was secretly imported to England in late 17th century, and to lace produced in England that was comparable to fine Brussels lace in thread quality, technique, and design. In order to encourage the lace industry at home, in the 1660s both England and France enacted laws prohibiting the importation of the wildly popular Brussels lace. To circumvent these laws, merchants often smuggled Brussels lace to England and France, selling it as lace made in England. Scholars still debate whether surviving examples were actually made in England or Brussels, or both.
