Rigid Heddles found aboard ships

The Ashley Book of Knots

 The Ashley Book of Knots is a fountain of fascinating information.  On page 488 he illustrates a small rigid heddle used on board a ship.

The heddle as spaces for 9 warp ends. A shuttle is illustrated but he explains that the weft was usually carried through as a ball or a hank of yarn.  The shuttle illustrated is a netting style shuttle and may also be used but the weft is always beaten in using a sword. He describes a sword as being a flat, pointed sword-like stick.  It was used to open the warp to insert the weft after which the sword was used to  hammer the weft into place. The sword can be inserted after the heddle has been raised or lowered and turned on one edge to keep the shed open for the passage of the weft. 

The advantage of using a ball or hank is that this can be secured so that it does not unravel once it has been passed through the shed. 

Notice that the heddle has a small loop on either side. This is not used in the weaving process but could be used when storing the heddle by passing a loop of yarn through the hole - rather like a key fob. Interestingly, the Roman heddle from Croatia has a single additional hole in one corner and the Roman heddles from South Shields, Lauriacum Enns and Pilismarot also have additional holes at the corners. 

The weaving is weft faced - tapestry weave.  The warp ends are kept parallel both at the far end where they are attached to a rope and at the weaving end. The rigid heddle helps to keep the warp threads spaced. 

I have started to experiment with tapestry weave with some of the Roman heddles. Here is my first attempt with the reproduction of the Roman heddle from Lingenfeld which takes 6 warp ends. 

tapestry weave

The small heddle helps to keep the warp ends at an even distance apart. 

Ashley's illustration of a warp faced band is interesting.  This shows a double weft - that is the weft thread is entered into the shed from both sides.  There is no heddle in use. It appears to be linked to the previous picture of the rigid heddle. Both illustrations have 9 warp ends. 

In fact the final width was probably wider than the one illustrated.  He describes it as a woven or sword mat and the weft was beaten in using a sword - a flat, pointed sword-like stick.

A warp-faced weaving 

The function of the textile produced is that of a horse harness if it was made onshore. On board ship it was used as a way of providing extra padding on a rope, perhaps to protect rigging ropes if they were subject to wear. The name for this type of textile is a strop. 

If this textile is required to pass through a cleat or around a bolt it can be tapered.  This was known as 'shouldering' and could be applied to both sides of the weaving. 

In Red Bay, Labrador, Canada, whaling ships that have sunk have been examined. Many artefacts were excavated and the report details a weaving heddle that was found. 

Red Bay Heddle is in the report by Stephen Davis section 11.2 

The heddle fragments from Red Bay are carved of European white oak. There are two fragments which are abraded from years of deposition.  The full description can be seen in this publication on pages 216 - 219. 

http://parkscanadahistory.com/publications/redbay/underwater-archaeology/vol2-eng.pdf

Stephen Davis  reports that ''Comparing the fragments from Red Bay with an intact heddle found on the Mary Rose (1545), it appears that they may represent the fragmented bottom corners of the complete object (Figs. 11.2.4,11.2.5). In addition to those from Red Bay and the Mary Rose, heddle looms and other weaving tools were recovered during excavations of the Studland Bay wreck (ca. 1520-30) and the Trinidad Valencera (1588).'

The Mary Rose which sank in 1545 off the coast of England also has a heddle which is complete. This heddle is described in detail by Maggie Richards in the book Before the Mast Life and Death Aboard the Mary Rose: 4 (Archaeology of the Mary Rose) ed. by Julie Gardiner. This is a two volume set and is very comprehensive ( and weighs 2.9 kilos!) 

The heddle is also known as a fiddle loom because of its shape. The Mary Rose heddle is carved from a single piece of oak and can take 17 warp ends. It is 655 mm tall from the top of the handle to the base. (approx 25.8 inches). 

Amy Leake kindly allowed me to use her photograph of the heddle in the Mary Rose Museum. 

Heddle of oak found on the Mary Rose.

This is an example  of a very large heddle. Over the years I have acquired a variety of heddles of different sizes and materials but I have not come across a heddle this large.  This is the illustration on the catalogue.

A reproduction of the Mary Rose heddle

A reproduction of this large heddle has been crafted by Robin Goatey.  https://www.etsy.com/listing/4336577471/sailors-heddle-from-the-wreck-of-the

One of the items that may have been woven is called a strop and were sometimes known as 'sword matting'. This is because to achieve the tightness of the weft a strong beat was required using a 'sword' or batten. 

Here is a picture of a strop. You can see one hanging behind the Mary Rose heddle.

The manufacture of the strop is described in detail by Ashley.  No sword was found on the Mary Rose wreck. 

In the museum the heddle has a caption.

This is unusual as I would have expected the heddle to be held with the handle on the bottom. The end of the heddle with the handle is heavier than the other edge. Used in the way illustrated the heddle would flop when the weaver let go of it. When the handle is on the bottom, the weight of the handle holds the heddle in place on the warp. 

Large heddles were known to early American settlers who brought their weaving traditions with them and made their heddles in the new world.  Evelyn Neher gives illustrations of a number of these wonderful variations of the rigid heddle. (Inkle by E Neher, 1974, page 227.)

This is one variation of a tape loom.  The heddle is made of a plank of wood and held between the knees. It would probably be moved forward and backwards rather than up and down to make the shed. It looks rather uncomfortable to me!

I have an old weaving 'sword' made of oak.  It is one of those implements that has been handed down from weaver to weaver so I have no idea how old it is. I had to smooth the surface to make it useable. It is very weighty.

Rigid heddles were also in use on land and are illustrated in a few books. 

1532

This is an image showing two women weavers using rigid heddles. (see this blog for Friday, 1 July 2016 for further details.)

Some earlier heddles are also known.  Two heddles are from Bergen in Norway ( elk antler and wood) (blog for December 2024).  Robin Goatey has produced a replica of the elk antler heddle in wood.  It is unusual as it has additional holes. The elk antler heddle dates from 1248-1332 and the incomplete wooden heddle dates from 1170- 1198. 

Another heddle is from Vaskinde church in Sweden.  The Vaskinde heddle dates from 1350 - 1500 and is made of moose antler. Here is a replica in action. Note the two loop holes on either side like the drawing of the ship heddle from the Ashley Book of Knots. 

Vaskinde heddle in action -   available from Robin Goatey. 

In Bergen, finds were also made of shuttles and beaters. Five knife beaters were found all made of Juniper wood from the period 1170-1332. Shuttles were also dated to the period. 

It is very interesting exploring the finds of old rigid heddles and trying out the design to see how they operate in practice. 

Susan J Foulkes  September 2025

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