Linen Industry

 

Flax, a slender blue-flowered plant cultivated for its strong woody fibre was used for making linen. Evidence from early Egyptian tombs suggests that flax was the first textile spun by man. The growing of flax and the making of linen was probably introduced to England by the Romans.

By the Middle Ages restrictions were placed on flax growing in order to help the woollen industry. However, people in Ireland were encouraged to produce flax and by the 18th century, the country became the largest producer of linen in the world.

In the 1790s John Marshall and Matthew Murray created an efficient lax-spinning machine that produced good quality yarn. Marshall built two mills in Leeds, installed Boulton & Watt steam-engines, between 1803 and 1815 both Temple Mill (£238,000) and Castle Foregate (£82,000) made healthy profits. By 1820 Marshall was worth over £400,000.

Linen was also used as the warp thread in the production of fustian cloth. The invention of the water-frame made it possible to make cotton cloth with cotton warp and linen was then no longer needed for this. Linen was still used for sails, sacking and furnishing.

 

 

 

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