Tentering

The wet cloth was stretched and dried on a tenter rack. Wooden frames were built outside the mill but near to it , to prevent valuable cloths being stolen.

Blunt headed nails were driven at intervals into the frames and the selvedges of the cloth were pulled evenly and hooked onto the nails. Hence the expression being on tenter hooks!

From 1727 until 1770, all cloths were measured by inspectors and ‘sealed’.

After mechanisation, a tenter machine was used to dry the cloth. It also removed creases and straightened the fabric. The cloth was still stretched to the correct width on tenter hooks.