Animal Hair in Medieval Ship Caulking Throws Light on Livestock Types

Abstract

Diameter measurements of nearly 200 samples of hair caulking from medieval boat timbers excavated in London threw light on livestock type and husbandry practices. Cattle hair (440/0) with a primitive coat structure predominated in the earlier centuries, while those with a “modern” coat structure predominated later, and these were mostly black. The goat hair (38%) had only one type of coat and the overall mean fibre diameter of the underwool was 13.4 microns compared with 14.7 microns in surviving feral goats. About half the goat hair samples (again from the later centuries) were black and half grey, with only one white animal. There was evidence that death of the cattle and goats had occurred during autumn and/or winter. Sheeps' wool formed 18% of the samples and there were more hairy fleeces than found in medieval clothing. Most of the wool was grey; there were no black samples and only one white one.