Description

A large mass of sailcloth [SCW707] was recovered from the site in the area to the west of the stern. This consisted of 100s of fragments of extremely degraded cloth of which only a few large fragments survives. Several pieces of the cloth were still attached to the cordage.

The cloth appears to be made from untwisted grasslike fibres that lie flat and are on average 0.5mm wide. The cloth is made from vegetable fibre and has been indicated by pollen analysis as hemp (Cannabis sativa), but due to their state of preservation a definite identification could not be made; linen is another possibility.

The fabric is of a tabby weave, with several layers of thin cloth laminated together to make the sailcloth. Only the weave of the topmost layer is visible in the laminated fragments. The set is approximately 10 strands/cm but is noticeably looser in some areas.

Colour varies between light tan to dark brown.

The sailcloth appears to have been woven into strips which are sewn together with lapped seems and an angled stitch made out of a thicker, darker brown thread. The seams do not go all the way through the laminated layers, implying that lamination occurred at some point after the strips were sewn together.