Covered Wagons and Tents

euclid

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I was looking for information about author intrusion and posted in a thread called "historical question", and made an awful mess of someone else's discussion (about high-born Romans marrying slaves).

Sorry about that, Angeliz. :flag:

So this time, I've started a new thread. My question is:

Does anyone know what sort of material they used to cover their wagons and for their tents in 1000-1100 AD? They must have had something reasonably waterproof.
 

alleycat

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I might guess some sort of oil-treated linen, but I am just guessing.
 

Doogs

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Don't know about the 11th century A.D., but the Romans used canvas, often woven from hemp. In fact, the word canvas has its origins in the Latin "cannabis".

Wouldn't be too surprised to find something similar in use centuries later, but don't take my word for it...
 

pdr

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Tents?

Leather was used as a waterproof covering right up to the 17thC.
Felted wool - with the lanolin left in to make it waterproof - was also used.

Find out what sails were made of back then as they had to be waterproof.
 

euclid

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Hi all,

It looks like canvas is the right answer. OED says it was woven from hemp or flax and the word canvas is old Middle English, from an earlier word "canevas" which comes from Northern France.

This material would have been used for (a) wagon coverings (b) tents and (c) ship sails.

I'm now a very happy camper!

Doogs wins the cigar!
 

Pup

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And in case anyone is wondering about the obvious objection--canvas isn't waterproof--the answer is it sheds water if it's stretched at an angle and nothing's touching it. It'll get soaked, and to some extent the fibers will swell and become more waterproof, and the water will run off, unless you touch it from the inside. Then whatever touches it will get wet.
 

Doogs

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OED says it was woven from hemp or flax and the word canvas is old Middle English, from an earlier word "canevas" which comes from Northern France.

Doogs wins the cigar!

Mmm...cigar...

My dictionary sources trace the etymology a bit further: Middle English canevas, from Old French and from Medieval Latin canavāsium, both ultimately from Latin cannabis