MR. W. H. BI DWELL OX TUE USE OF THE TEASEL IN NORWICH. 147 
II. 
ON THE USE OF THE TEASEL IN NORWICH. 
By W. H. Bi dwell. 
Read Gth November, 1900. 
A Norwich factory has lately been dismantled, and the workmen 
engaged found the remains of an old gig mill, the iron frames of 
which were still fitted with the burs of the Fuller’s Teasel (Dipsacua 
fullonum). The gig mill is still used in the West of England for 
dressing the best cloths ; but it is so long since any teaseling was 
done in Norwich, that it seemed that one of these frames, which 
is exhibited this evening, would prove of sufficient interest to be 
placed in the Museum. 
These frames were fixed on a large wheel, which revolved, and 
the cloth was drawn under it, moving in an opposite direction. 
The hooks at the end of the spines of the bur thus caught the 
surface, and teased out much of the woolly fibre, giving it a velvety 
appearance ; the cloth was then passed through a dressing machine, 
which pared down the irregular pile raised by the teasels, to 
a perfect uniformity of surface. In this way the nap of the cloth 
is still produced in other counties ; each piece of broadcloth 
requiring at least 1500 burs to bring out the proper nap, after 
which they are useless. It appears from the construction of this 
frame that the teasels could be turned until each side had been 
worn down. 
Many different kinds of cloth were teaseled in Norwich, including 
glove cloth, and after these mills had ceased to be worked here, 
the cloth woven in Norwich was sent away to be teaseled ; the 
process was also employed to give an appearance of increased 
thickness to bombazine, by teaseling the back of the cloth. In 
addition to the rotatory motion, a slight side motion was sometimes 
given to the frames, just sufficient to prevent the teasels from 
VOL. VII. 
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