Some Background on Linen & Cotton

Linen is made from the fibres of the flax plant. It is the world’s strongest natural fibre. Historical evidence suggests it was in use by humans more than 35,000 years ago. The fibres come from the stem of the plant which grows to 3 – 4 ft tall. Linen dries faster than cotton but wrinkles more than cotton. The benefits of linen include:-

• Absorbent: Its porous nature and moisture-wicking properties make it a popular summer fabric for clothing or bedding.

• Conducts heat: Linen is a natural conductor of heat, keeping you warm but retaining the heat in its fibers, not your skin.

• Breathable: This fabric allows more airflow to and from your body, making your linen clothes feel airy and comfortable to wear.

• Easy to dye: Its natural fibers hold dye colors better than other materials; thus, the fabric is available in almost any imaginable color.

• Antibacterial and hypoallergenic: Linen is naturally antibacterial and antifungal, making it a popular choice for bandages and bed linens for centuries. It's hypoallergenic, making it a good alternative for people with allergy sensitivities.

• Long-lasting: It is one of the longest-lasting natural fabrics, outpacing cotton, and can last 30-plus years.

• Eco-friendly: This sustainable textile is quickly biodegradable, requires less water than cotton to cultivate, and can grow in challenging environments, making it an earth-friendly choice.

There are numerous steps in going from flax to linen:-

• April – May: Flax seeds sown densely to create taller plants, fully mature in about 100 days.

• Mid-August: Flax plant pulled and stacked in bunches called “knee gates” to dry

• “Rippling”: The flax seed was removed

• “Retting”: The flax bundles were steeped in flax dams or ponds to allow the woody matter to decay away from the fibre bundles.

• “Scutching”: Beating the flax plant mechanically to remove the woody matter called “shive”.

• “Heckling”: The flax was then pulled through “heckling combs” which separated the locked fibres, making them straight, clean, and ready to spin.

• Spinning: The flax fibres were spun to make the yarn.

• Weaving: The yarn was woven on the loom to make the linen fabric.

• Bleaching: The brown linen webs were bleached to white.

• “Beetling”: The pounding of linen fabric to give a flat, lustrous effect. This was a part of the finishing process.

Cotton fibres are derived from the bolls that grow around the plant’s seed heads. The fibre is spun into yarn or thread to make a soft breathable and durable textile. It has been in use for up to 5000 years. Although it was the invention of the cotton gin that lowered the cost of production leading to more widespread use and is the most widely used natural fibre in clothing today. India is the worlds largest producer but the US has been the largest exporter for many years.

The English East India Company (EIC) introduced the British to cheap calico and chintz cloth on the restoration of the monarchy in the 1660s. Initially imported as a novelty side line, from its spice trading posts in Asia, the cheap colourful cloth proved popular and overtook the EIC's spice trade by value in the late 17th century. These imports threatened domestic woollen and linen textiles leading to a ban on imported cotton cloth. Raw cotton could be imported but then Parliament went further and banned the sale of imported and domestic cotton goods except for Fustian (heavy cloth) and raw cotton. These acts were repealed in 1774 trigging a wave of investment in mill-based cotton spinning and production. Cotton demand doubled within a couple of years and doubled every decade into the 1840’s.

By the 1840’s India could no longer supply Britain’s requirements combined with the fact the American variety produced longer and stronger fibres cotton production became the backbone of the southern state’s economy.  During the civil war exports slumped and Britain turned to Egyptian cotton. The Egyptian government made heavy investments into cotton production however at the end of the American civil war Egyptian cotton was abandoned in preference to cheap American exports. This led to Egypt declaring bankruptcy in 1876 leading to the occupation of Egypt by the British Empire in 1882.

Via tariffs and other restrictions, the British government discouraged the production of cotton cloth in India; rather, the raw fibre was sent to England for processing. Mahatma Gandhi described the process thus:

1. English people buy Indian cotton, picked by Indian labour at seven cents a day.

2. It is shipped on British ships, via the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, across the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic to London. One hundred per cent profit on this cargo is regarded as small.

3. The cotton is turned into cloth in Lancashire.

4. Shilling wages are paid instead of Indian pennies. The English worker not only has the advantage of better wages, but the steel companies get the profit of building the factories and machines. Wages; profits; all are spent in England.

5. The finished product is sent back to India at European shipping rates, on British ships. The captains, officers, sailors of these ships, whose wages must be paid, are English. The only Indians who profit are a few lascars who do the dirty work on the boats for a few cents a day.

6. The cloth is finally sold back to the kings and landlords of India who got the money to buy this expensive cloth out of the poor peasants of India who worked at seven cents a day.