Highland weaving: The Tapestry of Life
By Jennifer Johnstone, Highland Archive Centre
Weaving has been at the heart of Highland life for centuries, shaping communities and the way in which they connect to the landscape and environment.
From long-standing traditions of roof thatching and rope making to basket and creel making, weaving, in the broader sense, has played a pivotal role in the domestic daily life as well as the sustenance and economy of Highland society through its significant textile industry.
The most famous of Highland textile exports, the world-renowned and revered fabric of the high-fashion world, Harris Tweed, still provides hundreds of Highlanders with a source of income, as do many other Scottish tweed manufacturers who have welcomed a reawakening of wider public interest in high quality fabric.
There are many historical records which make mention of weavers or point us to the textile industry in general, with plenty of evidence to confirm that textile production had a huge and vital presence in the Highlands.
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In the Old Statistical Accounts (compiled 1791-1799) it is stated that in Inverness town: “A hemp manufacture was established here above 30 years ago. This business at present employs 1000 men, women and children…A white and coloured thread manufacture is now established here about 10 years. This business employs, in heckling, spinning, twisting, bleaching and dyeing, near 10,000 persons, including men, women and children.”
By the time the Old Statistical Accounts had been published, there was already a significant woolen mill established in Holm, on the edge of the Burgh of Inverness.
Although the earliest documented evidence of the mill being established is from 1798, the 3rd Statistical Accounts (complied and published between 1951-1992) reference it to having been started a little earlier: “Playing their part in the export drive, especially to the US, Scandinavia and the Low Countries, are the long-established Holm Woollen Mills.”
These mills started in 1780 as a small country mill, driven by water power, for the preparation for home spinning and weaving of farmers’ own wool, which had already been washed and dyed.
Weaving at home on hand looms, floor looms and then latterly bigger looms such as The Hattersley was the norm for most Highland weavers, with this cottage industry, for a while at least, running alongside the more factory-based production during and after the Industrial Revolution.
However, a steady decline in traditional crafts seemed inevitable and by the mid-20th century the decline had accelerated, exacerbated by competition from mass production of cheaper and imported materials, rural depopulation and changing economic conditions.
Young people left the Highlands for urban centres, seeking better opportunities, and with them went the skills needed to maintain these traditional crafts.
Today, there is a resurgence of interest in Highland weaving, driven by a desire to preserve cultural heritage and to revive and maintain traditional methods, with a growing appreciation for handmade goods.
As the Highlands look to the future, the past serves as a reminder of the integral role weaving played in shaping the identity and resilience of Highland communities.
