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About a third of Great Britain's porduction of flax came from an area to the north of the river Tone, between the Quantocks and the Brendon Hills.
"Cordage" is the name given to twine and rope. After the raw hemp or flax had been prepared, it would have been twisted into a coarse yarn for twine or ropes along uncovered "walks" by the roadside; a young boy or girl would turn a spinning wheel while sitting on a stool and a man, walking backwards, fed out the fibres from a bundle of dressed hemp which was wrapped around his waist.
So poor was the quality of sailcloth at the accession of James I "owing to the unskilfulness of workmen and badness of sailcoth, lately made in England" that an Act of Parliament was passed whereby "none shall make such cloth except as shall have been apprenticed or brought up in the trade". The apprenticeship would have been for a period of seven years. It was also specified that "such cloth shall be made only of hemp" and "nor of any length less than three and thirtie yardes, nor of any less Breadth than three quarters of a yarde".
Sailcloth was manufactured in inland areas as well as in the maritime towns and villages, such production being recorded at West Coker between 1761 and 1796. The manufacture would have started as a cottage industry with the long, thin strips of sailcloth being woven on the family handloom, worked by hands and feet, before being exported to be stitched together into the finished sails.
Women would spin the processed flax into a yarn for the weaving the sailcloth by the men on handlooms.
| 1356 | | Hemp yarn was sent from West Coker to Bridport for maritime use | | BAAAGGIG BAAAGBSZ | | 1633 | | Writing of Yeovil market, Thomas Gerard stated that the hemp and linen thread there were very good chafer (cheap) | | BAAAGEUB BAAAGETH | | 1668 | | Pollution of the river Yeo between Yeovil and Ilchester by the watering of flax, causing destruction of fish and great prejudice to neighbouring inhabitants themselves and their cattle | | BAAAGEUB BAAAGDBO BAAAGCOV BAAAGCDH BAAAGEUC | | 1692 | | Contemporay account states that great quantities of flax hath been sown
last year at Yeovil, for making cloth, ticking, and sewing thread | | BAAAGEUB | | 1781 | | Act of Parliament grants a subsidy or bounty of threepence on each stone (14 lb) of hemp and fourpence on each stone of flax produced | | BAAAGEUB BAAAGCPO BAAAGGIH BAAAGGIG | | 1797 | | Halfpenny token produced by Brett and Cayme of Yeovil (sailcloth, tick, and dowlas manufacturers) bearing the initials B & C .Yeovil. 1797, and the figure of a man working at a loom on the reverse
The token is at the Museum of South Somerset | | BAAAGEUB | | circa 1810 | | The gloving industry arrives at Milborne Port to replace the flax industry which died out completely within a few years | | BAAAGCGM | | 1812.Jul.08 | | Western Flying Post records that 15 growers from West Coker claimed a subsidy of �186 on almost 80 tons of flax (5,022 stones) and hemp (7,396 stones). East Coker growers claimed for 1,332 stones of flax and 267 stones of hemp | | BAAAGGIG BAAAGGIH | | 1824 | | Pigot & Co.s Somerset Directory lists no sailcloth manufacturers under Yeovil but 15 in surrounding villages; 5 at East Coker, 5 at West Coker, 2 at East Chinnock, 1 at Middle Chinnock, and 2 at West Chinnock | | BAAAGGIH BAAAGEUB BAAAGGIG BAAAGDBQ | | 1824 | | Somerset Gazette Directory lists two sack and twine manufacturers un Yeovil;
Jon Neal in Reckleford and John Palmer in Kingstone | | BAAAGEUB | | 1830 | | Pigot & Co.s Somerset Directory lists 25 sailcoth manufacturers under Yeovil with none in the town, but
5 at East Coker, 8 at West Coker, 4 at East Chinnock, 4 at West Chinnock, 2 at Odcombe], 1 at Norton-sub-Hamdon, and 1 at Hardington | | BAAAGEUB BAAAGGIH BAAAGGIG BAAAGDBQ | | 1840 | | Somerset Gazette Directory lists only one rope and sack manufacturer in Yeovill;
John Tatchell of Back Kingstone, who was also a bag maker | | BAAAGEQA BAAAGEUB |
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