Scottish Studies Zoom Talk
an online talk by Catherine Chorley
Friday, September 10, 2021
11 a.m. (Toronto) - 4 p.m. (UK)
We invite you join us online via Zoom as we present a series of talks on a variety of topics of interest to Scots worldwide and which will allow "attendees" to participate and to ask questions.
The next in this series will be given by University of Dundee PhD candidate Catherine Chorley who will present her fascinating research into how espionage, enterprise and expertise came together to make the City and Royal Burgh of Dunfermline in Scotland famous for its production of complex woven linen known as damask.
— BACKGROUND INFORMATION —
Dunfermline has had many claims to fame. It was once the ancient Capital of Scotland. It was the burial place of King Robert the Bruce and the birthplace millionaire philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It is now one of the few places in Scotland that has a Tim Hortons! But in the 18th and 19th centuries its reputation was based on the production of damask.
Evidence of a commercial weaving trade in Dunfermline goes back to the 15th century and manufacturing of damask linen was the principal occupation in Dunfermline by the early 19th century. Weaving was initially undertaken on hand-looms and was very much a family affair with women and children supporting male weavers with tasks such as yarn winding and pirn filling and with work being generally allocated on the basis of age and gender. Industrialisation involved movement of labour and resources away from primary production in the home to factory manufacture, firstly in hand-loom factories and then in power-loom factories.
Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn and because of the way in which the weave is carried out the textile appears to have a sheen. Rather than being printed, the pattern in damask is generated by the weaving process and therefore can be seen from both sides of the material.
The damask produced in Dunfermline was linen and used as tableware which, from the eighteenth century, became more popular and moved from a luxury item to one within the scope of many middle class families.
A number of factors contributed to the success in Dunfermline. These included a well organised workforce of skilled hand-loom weavers working for manufacturers who were able to market their wares effectively.
Dunfermline weavers were quick to adapt to new technology and, in some cases, were at the forefront of inventions which increased productivity. In particular, the French invention of the Jacquard machine added to looms from around 1830 in Dunfermline ensured a quicker more accurate weave with attractive patterns. The Jacquard machine was programmed to work using an endless series of punched cards, a technique which became the forerunner of computer systems.
Dunfermline grew into the major damask tableware producing town in Great Britain so that: "Amid the numerous tall stalks, belching forth their clouds of smoke, the clanking engines, and the noise of the power loom, were an emigrant to return who had been absent only a few years … he would not know his home town."
Whilst men were the key weavers until around 1860, it was women who became the machine minders in the power-loom factories. At the height of the power-loom production around 1880, nearly six thousand people were employed in eleven factories throughout the town. The factory owners were all local men, some with experience of hand-loom weaving but most without previous experience though with entrepreneurial flair.
In many aspects Dunfermline was not unique. For example, the Jacquard machine contributed to the success of the Paisley shawls and the cotton masters in Glasgow were entrepreneurs too. However, a combination of factors led to the production of damask tableware popular throughout the world until fashions changed after the First World War.
— REGISTRATION —
To register for this event, kindly contact David Hunter by email at davidhunter@scottishstudies.com. You will then be sent the appropriate Zoom login information. Please register no later than Thursday, September 9th. This is a free event, but a donation would be appreciated. All donations will go to our Undergraduate Scholarship Campaign.
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