Tentering and drying

Tuckers gathering blankets from a tenter rack at a Witney mill, early 20th century.

The wet blankets were taken to be hung outdoors in the drying grounds on tenter racks. They would still be in stockfuls at this stage; a stockful would weigh around 100lbs (or 44 kg) and therefore could be carried by one man to the racks.

Gangs of between 12 and 20 men known as tuckers would hang the cloth out on the tenterhooks, which were metal alloy hooks driven into the frame of the racks. These hooks made holes in the blankets but this seems to have been an accepted feature of the product and the holes were not disguised. All the tenter racks at Witney Mill (Early's) had names given to them by the tuckers, such as 'Middleside', 'Workus' (near the workhouse), 'Over-the-stile', 'Harry's' (which was the largest) and 'Dryneck' (near the bleach houses). When it was fine it was possible to dry over a mile of blankets outside each day. When it started to rain all the available tuckers were needed to get the cloth in quickly.

From around 1850 there was an indoor, steam-heated drying chamber for drying when it was not possible to hang blankets outdoors. Before this date under-cover racks and fans were used by Early's. In 1870 a tentering machine was ordered by Early's that could apparently dry 500 yards of blanketing but it appears to have disappeared within ten years and alternative arrangements used.

Clare Sumner