Flax mills are mills which process flax. The earliest mills were developed for spinning

yarn Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manu ...

for the linen industry.

John Kendrew Sir John Cowdery Kendrew, (24 March 1917 – 23 August 1997) was an English biochemist, crystallographer, and science administrator. Kendrew shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Max Perutz, for their work at the Cavendish La ...

(an optician) and Thomas Porthouse (a

clockmaker A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly to ...

), both of Darlington developed the process from Richard Arkwright's

water frame The water frame is a spinning frame that is powered by a water-wheel. Water frames in general have existed since Ancient Egypt times. Richard Arkwright, who patented the technology in 1769, designed a model for the production of cotton thread; ...

, and patented it in 1787. The first machine was set up in Low Mill on the

River Skerne The River Skerne is a tributary of the River Tees. It flows through County Durham in England. Course The Skerne is about long and begins in Magnesian Limestone hills between Trimdon and Trimdon Grange and ends at Hurworth Place where it ...

at Darlington, which Kendrew used to grind glass. They then each set up a mill of their own, Kendrew near

Haughton-le-Skerne Haughton-le-Skerne is a village in the borough of Darlington (borough), Darlington in the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated in the north east of Darlington. The village lies to the west of the River Skerne. At the centre ...

and Porthouse near

Coatham Mundeville Coatham Mundeville is a village in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated a short distance from Brafferton, on the A167 between Newton Aycliffe Newton Aycliffe is a town in County D ...

, both on the same river. They also granted permits, enabling others to build similar mills, including in northeast

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, where early mills included those in Douglastown, Bervie and Dundee. Others were built in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

Matthew Murray Matthew Murray (1765 – 20 February 1826) was an English steam engine and machine tool manufacturer, who designed and built the first commercially viable steam locomotive, the twin cylinder ''Salamanca'' in 1812. He was an innovative design ...

moved from Darlington to set up a mill at Adel near Leeds, where he built an improved spinning machine for John Marshall. In 1791, Marshall built another mill in Holbeck near Leeds. Murray later became a noted textile engineer as a partner in Fenton, Murray and Wood.

Ditherington Flax Mill Ditherington Flax Mill (promoted as the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings), a flax mill located in Ditherington, a suburb of Shrewsbury, England, is the first iron-framed building in the world, and described as "the grandfather of skyscrapers",

in Shrewsbury, built in 1797, is the world's first iron-framed building, and hence a forerunner of all skyscrapers.A. W. Skempton and H. R. Johnson, 'The First Iron Frames' ''Architectural Review'' (March 1962); repr. in R. J. M. Sutherland, ''Structural Iron 1750–1850'' (Ashgate, Aldershot 1997), 25–36. In 1805, Malleny Mill was built on the eastern edge of

Balerno Balerno (; gd, Baile Àirneach, IPA: �paleˈɛːɾʲnəx Scots: Balerno or Balernie) is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland situated south-west of the city centre, next to Currie and then Juniper Green. Traditionally in the cou ...

to process Flax.

References

{{reflist Flax Linen industry Textile mills

See also

References