After fulling and dyeing, the cloth was washed. Washing or 'streaming' the cloth was done in the Slad brook at Wallbridge.
'The apparatus used for streaming, is a bridge six feet wide, and at least ten feet long, which is placed across a rapid stream, where the water is not less than eighteen inches deep. About sixteen feet below the bridge, a windlass is placed parallel with it, and elevated about sixteen inches above its level. At one end of the windlass, is fixed a pully, three inches thick, and one foot three inches diameter ; around this, holes are bored to place in four or five stout handles, which project twelve inches from the solid pully, and a boy works the windlass by means of these handles. The cloth, intended to be cleaned, is carried to the bridge on a slatted hand-barrow, called a scallet, and to the head end of the cloth is fastened, by means of a running noose, some large twine permanently secured at the other end to the centre of the windlass. The two men who carry the hand-barrow, having secured the twine on the cloth, throw the end to which it has been fastened, on the water, placing each a foot on the list next to him, whilst the boy strains that part between the windlass and the bridge so as to keep it fairly on the surface of the stream; the two men are prepared with each a long pole, large and smooth at the lower end, to prevent their damaging the cloth, with which they strike it, in rather a slanting direction, and keep so beating till the water runs clear from it; they then lift up their feet to let another length upon the water, and the boy continues to wind up, always keeping it at a proper strain until the whole is off the hand-barrow. The cloth is then drawn back again. For dark colours, this operation is repeated two, three and even four times, or until the colour will not stain white paper. The men who work it, have wooden soles on their shoes an inch thick, the upper leathers being put on with tacks; but no iron or any other metal is permitted to be on the soles. They have also leather coverings to tie round their legs from their shoes to a little above their knees, to protect them from the splashings of the water'
Partridge, W., 1823, A Practical Treatise on dyeing, pp.82-83
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