Heckling (or "hackling") is the last of three steps in dressing
flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
, or preparing the fibers to be
spun
''Spun'' is a 2002 American black comedy crime drama film directed by Jonas Åkerlund from an original screenplay by William De Los Santos and Creighton Vero, based on three days of De Los Santos's life in the Eugene, Oregon drug subculture. I ...
. It splits and straightens the flax fibers, as well as removes the fibrous core and impurities.
["Heckle." ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. 2nd ed. 1989.] Flax is pulled through heckling combs, which parts the locked fibers and makes them straight, clean, and ready to spin.
[Extract]
/ref> After heckling and spinning, flax is ready to be woven
Woven fabric is any textile formed by weaving. Woven fabrics, often created on a loom, are made of many threads woven in a warp and weft. Technically, a woven fabric is any fabric made by interlacing two or more threads at right angles to one anot ...
into linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...
.
Process of heckling
Dressing is the broad term referring to removing the fibers from the straw and cleaning it enough to be spun. Dressing consists of three steps: breaking, scutching
Scutching is a step in the Processing of Cotton, processing of cotton or the dressing of flax or hemp in preparation for spinning (textiles), spinning. The scutching process separates the impurities from the raw material, such as the Cotton gin, ...
and heckling. After breaking, some of the straw is scraped from the fibers in the scutching process, then the fiber is pulled through various sized heckling combs,[ or hackles.][oxforddictionaries.com definition of "hackle"](_blank)
/ref> Different sized heckling combs are used, progressing from coarser combs with only a few prongs or nails per inch, to finer combs. Generally three heckling combs are used;[ however, many more can be used. The finer the final heckling comb, the finer the yarn spun from that flax can be. An example of a progression of five combs is first using a heckling comb with four nails per square inch, then one with 12 per inch, then 25, next 48, and finally 80 nails per inch. The first three remove the straw, and the last two split and polish the fibers.
The shorter fibers that remain in the heckling comb after the flax has been combed are called tow.][ If the heckle is fine enough, the tow can be carded like wool and spun, otherwise it can be spun like the other flax fibers. Tow produces a coarser yarn than the fibers pulled through the heckles][ because it will still have some straw in it. While this yarn is not suitable for fine linens, it can be used for bagging, rough sheets, cords or ropes.][
Heckling was originally done by hand, but began in the nineteenth century to be undertaken mechanically, with rollers drawing the slivers of flax through the hackles. The machine used for this is called a gill. At first this was similar in form to traditional hackles, but later the screw-gill was invented. Key innovators in developing this technology were ]Philippe de Girard
Philippe Henri de Girard (February 1, 1775 – August 26, 1845) was a French engineer and inventor of the first flax spinning frame in 1810, and the person after whom the town of Żyrardów in Poland was named. He was also the uncredited inventor ...
, Samuel Lawson (inventor of the screw-gill), and Peter Fairbairn
Sir Peter Fairbairn (1799–1861) was a Scottish engineer, inventor, and mayor of Leeds, West Yorkshire.
Early life
Peter Fairbairn was the youngest brother of Sir William Fairbairn, born at Kelso, Scottish Borders, Kelso in Roxburghshire in ...
.[E. J. Connell and M. Ward, 'Industrial Development, 1780-1914', in ''A History of Modern Leeds'', ed. by Derek Fraser (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1980), pp. 142-76 (at 157).]
Etymology
The noun "heckle" is thought to be derived from Old English, with Middle English forms hechele, hetchell (c1300), hekele (c1440), hakell (1485), and later hatchel. The terms "heckle," "hackle" and "hackel" are used interchangeably at present.
In popular culture
As a farmer, Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...
grew flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
, and during 1781 he took work as a flax-dresser in a heckling shop, to try his alternative career. It was dusty monotonous work, with a sickening smell from the flax, and damaged his health so he left this employment at the end of the year. He had widened his ideas at a bookshop in the town, and was encouraged by others to work towards publishing his poetry.
Prior to the industry becoming mechanised and moving to East Ulster, hackling was a rural based cottage industry
The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...
with Cootehill
Cootehill (; ) is a market town and townland in County Cavan, Ireland. Cootehill was formerly part of the neighbouring townland of Munnilly. Both townlands lie within the barony of Tullygarvey. Cootehill is 20 km north-east of Cavan tow ...
in Ireland as Ulster's largest market. The Hackler from Grouse Hall is an Irish song written in the late 1880s by a local man, Peter Smith, from Stravicnabo, Lavey, Cavan, Ireland. It has been sung by Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the bands Planxty and Moving Hearts and has had significant success as a solo artist. His first albu ...
, Planxty
Planxty were an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972, consisting initially of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, gu ...
and Damien Dempsey
Damien Dempsey (born 9 June 1975) is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk contemporary lyrics that deliver social and political commentaries on Irish society. Damien sings in his native, working-class accent in the Eng ...
. In the 1990s a product known as The Hackler, an Irish poitin, was developed by Cooley Distillery
Cooley Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Republic of Ireland, Ireland established in 1987 and owned by Suntory Global Spirits, a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan.
The distillery ...
. So popular was this song that the promotional literature originally referred incorrectly to a hackler as a maker of Poitín
Poitín (), anglicized as poteen () or potcheen, is a traditional Irish distilled beverage (40–90% ABV). Former common names for Poitín were "Irish moonshine" and "mountain dew". It was traditionally distilled in a small pot still, and the ...
. This error was subsequently corrected.
See also
* Hand processing flax
* Linen production
References
External links
Flax trade weaving
{{spinning
Flax
Articles containing video clips
Textile treatments