Bruce Stewart - Volunteer
BACKGROUND TO PAPERMAKING
Lochmill Paper Mill Engineers outside the engine house in 1906. (05LILHT 02_11)
When we purchase a packet of paper, envelopes, a notepad, a greetings card, or books, newspapers and magazines few of us give any thought to the origin of these everyday items. While recent developments have seen society increasingly moving over to a paperless world, it is impossible to conceive how we got to modern times without paper.
The history of making and using paper has been dated back to China since the eighth century BCE, some 2,800 years ago. It is thought that hemp fibres were the primary material used.
In Europe before any method of processing cellulose from esparto grass or wood pulp was discovered paper was manufactured exclusively from discarded linen or cotton clothing, sailcloth, hemp ropes and other fibrous products. Such materials were ‘wetted’ allowing the fibres to interlace and mat together forming a felt-like sheet prior to being subjected to intense pressing and drying through a machine known as a ‘calendar’. The end result was a range of smooth tough materials that despite the differences in quality, are universally known as paper. Around the 1850s it was discovered that various vegetable fibres, notably those of esparto grass, commonly grown in Spain and North Africa, and certain kinds of softwoods, could be pulped and used to make paper. Mixtures of rag and esparto, and of esparto and wood pulp are still used however for the printing of books where a durable high-class surface is required.
CHALMERS AND LOVELL’S PAPERMILLS
While papermaking in Linlithgow may date from the 17th century the two mills operating in modern times were those of Chalmers (Loch Mill) and Lovell’s (Avon Mill). Loch Mill was a former grain mill and on conversion to paper making in 1808 principally produced only printing and cartridge paper. Avon Mill was initially a Printworks which was converted to paper making in 1870 and produced a wide range of papers.
Despite poor roads, the sites were good for the purpose, as they had:
adequate water power
clean spring water
sufficient land for mill buildings
an abundant supply of rags from the nearby city of Edinburgh. In addition Granton was a major port for the import of esparto grass to the UK.
a market: Edinburgh was home to merchants, lawyers and a growing printing industry.
Avonmill Papermill finishing house c1950. (14LILHT 10_04)
When the first paper mill was opened there was no suitable direct road between Linlithgow and Edinburgh. Over time new roads were built and old ones improved. In 1842 the first railway line in the area was built; with a station at Linlithgow. Later, other lines were built in the area making the transport of raw materials and the finished paper much easier.
Wastewater used in the production of paper was discharged into the River Avon. This, together with the change of raw material from rags to esparto grass and wood pulp, and a dramatic increase in production, polluted the river, affecting the general environment. There were various court cases from the 1840s until the 1870s, which resulted in improvements, but the river did not begin to run clear until the final closure of the mills. Avon Mill closed in 1971 and Loch Mill closed a few years later in 1984. Only then did the river return to its natural, unpolluted state.
It is thought that both mills had a similar number of workers, approximately 70 and that the working week was principally Monday to Friday between the hours of 7.30 - 8.00 am and 4.30 – 5.00 pm. Somewhat unusually for the times, there were more female than male workers. All hourly paid workers had a number which corresponded with a position on the wheel attached to a time recorder clock, one of which is on display in the Museum. Workers had to operate this each day on coming to work (clocking on) and leaving to go home (clocking off). It was the job of the ‘Timekeeper’ to extract the stamped paper/card record from the clock, work out the hours worked per employee, and pass the results to the Payroll Team.
At Avon Mill, the ‘Timekeeper’ was also responsible for operating the weighbridge. His office and the living accommodation above it was known as Weighbridge House. It is still there. Lorries delivering the materials to make paper, or carrying the final product to customers, would drive onto the weighbridge and a measurement was taken which was compared with the known unladen weight of the vehicle concerned and the additional weight calculated. The weighbridge was pretty accurate and could even measure the weight of a 10-year-old child!
There were a couple of perks for employees at Avon Mill. First was a natural freshwater spring within the factory and employees would routinely bring empty glass bottles to fill up with water. The domestic water supply was not as clean in the 1950s and 1960s as it is now. Second, the woollen blanket lining the steam-heated metal rollers used to dry and compress the newly made paper would wear out every so often, (perhaps every few years). Once a new blanket was fitted the old one was cut up to domestic single and double bed sizes and given to workers as bedding. This was still the time before the general acceptance of duvets in the UK.
SOME PAPER TERMINOLOGY
Writing paper measurements
25 sheets + 1 quire
500 sheets = 20 quires = 1 ream
1,000 sheets = 40 quires = 2 reams = 1 bundle
5,000 sheets = 200 quires = 10 reams = 5 bundles = 1 bale.
Imperial paper sizes
‘Folio’ meant cut in half, quarto cut in quarters, sixmo cut in sixths and octavo cut in eights. So:
Imperial = 30” x 22”
Imperial folio = 15” x 22”
Imperial quarto = 15” x 11”
Imperial octavo = 7.5” x 11”
Pott = 12 ½” x 15”
Foolscap = 13 ¼” x 16 ½”
Historically many countries had their own paper sizes and it was a century ago (1921) that the movement towards standardisation started, initially in Germany. Over subsequent years many other countries adopted this size range as set out below. The UK joined the process in 1959. Most of the world now recognises and uses the system, the major exceptions being the USA, Canada, Mexico and some other South American countries.
A size range of papers
A0 841 x 1189 mm 33.1 x 46.8 in
A1 594 x 841 mm 23.4 x 33.1 in
A2 420 x 594 mm 16.5 x 23.4 in
A3 297 x 420 mm 11.7 x 16.5 in
A4 210 x 297 mm 8.3 x 11.7 in
A5 148 x 210 mm 5.8 x 8.3 in
A6 105 x 148 mm 4.1 x 5.8 in
A7 74 x 105 mm 2.9 x 4.1 in
A8 52 x 74 mm 2.0 x 2.9 in
A9 37 x 52 mm 1.5 x 2.0 in
A10 26 x 37 mm 1.0 x 1.5 in
Looking at a packet of 500 sheets of printer paper do you know what the reference to 80 grammes denotes? Well in this example it is the weight of a full sheet of A0 paper, which is almost exactly one square metre in size. Heavier duty paper such as 120 gsm is similarly calculated on the A0 size. So, if you weren’t already aware of the fact, now you know.
Bruce was inspired to research this when he saw the timekeeping device from Avon Mill. His father was the timekeeper at one of Linlithgow’s papermills.