The origin of linen damask weaving in Britain and Ireland dates to the end of the seventeenth century. Prized by royalty and nobility for the breadth of elaborate patterns it afforded (both commemorative and heraldic) in 1737 George II turned to Irish weavers to provide the Royal Household with napery, foregoing continental manufacturers who had until then dominated the market. This marked a turning point for home manufacture, with both Irish and Scottish damask manufacturers raising the trade to a level where they stood on an equal footing with foreign competitors.
The trade maintained a steady presence through to the First World War, when huge economic and social change saw demand drastically wane. Followed by economic dislocation in the 1930s and the pioneering of artificial fibre in the 1950s, it led to the near collapse of the trade. A handful of manufacturers in Ireland and Scotland, however, were able to keep the tradition alive.
Lisburn, Northern Ireland, had been at the centre of the damask trade since the mid-18th century and was home to the world-famous Coulson damask manufactory. The firm, and offshoots, produced linen napery and tableware for the kings and queens of Europe, and tsars of Russia. Brian Mackey, curator of the newly-established Lisburn Museum, invited John McAtasney to demonstrate at the new museum on a part-time basis in 1982. John later became a full-time weaver and established a weaving programme as the museum expanded and added the Irish Linen Centre in 1994. John assembled a new damask loom in the museum’s galleries, and took on a Jacquard card cutter, Tommy Donnelly, and two apprentice weavers in 1996. Of these, Alison McNamee continues to weave at Lisburn Museum and has over 30 years of experience designing for, and weaving on, linen handlooms. Donna Campbell a hand loom weaver, designer, and researcher with 28 years of experience, joined the museum in 2023.
Lisburn Museum has invested almost 40 years into the craft of handwoven damask and is the only venue on the island of Ireland where visitors can view damask weaving daily. The museum holds the largest collection of Irish linen damask designs – from point papers to photographic plates – and cloths in the world.
In Ireland, commercial handloom linen damask weaving ceased on 8 January 1968
(the last order poignantly being for Windsor Castle) and has since been maintained in a museum setting, though narrowed to napkin-weaving. Over the last few years Deborah White has been undertaking the arduous task of restoring Ireland’s last remaining broadloom, which in the course of its illustrious history had the honour of weaving for the accession of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. Originating in Ireland’s last commercial handloom manufactory (John McCollum’s) it marks the beginnings of a new chapter in the history of the craft.
Linen damask weaving in Scotland
There was a significant linen damask industry in Scotland during the 18th and 19th centuries, with centres in Edinburgh and Dunfermline. Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries currently display the 1835 ‘Meldrum Loom’, recently restored with the help of master weaver Ian Dale of Angus Handloom Weavers, Brechin. The National Library of Scotland hold two documentary films from 1959 and 1963 featuring William Taylor, one of the last Scottish linen damask weavers, in Luthermuir, Aberdeenshire.
Jacquard Weaving – Linen damask weaving primarily employs Jacquard weaving, a technique that allows for the creation of complex, reversible patterns. This is made possible through the use of Jacquard looms, which control individual warp threads independently. Traditionally, these looms were operated using punched cards, with each card representing a single row of the pattern. This system allows for intricate and highly detailed designs such as floral motifs, geometric patterns, or heraldic imagery to be woven directly into the fabric.
Satin and Twill Weaves (Figured Weaving) – The characteristic texture and appearance of damask are achieved through a combination of satin and twill weaves, known as figured weaving. By alternating warp-faced and weft-faced areas within a single-color fabric, damask relies on how light reflects off these surfaces to reveal its pattern.
Single-Yarn (Monochrome) Weaving – Traditionally, damask is woven using a single type of yarn, usually fine linen, in the same color for both the warp and the weft. The patterns emerge not through color variation but through changes in weave structure, which manipulate how the light catches different areas of the cloth.
High Thread Count – Another essential feature of damask weaving is its high thread count. The fabric must be densely woven to achieve the clarity and durability that damask is known for. Preparing the loom with such fine, tightly packed threads requires exceptional skill, particularly during the warping process.
Manual Card Cutting and Design Layout – Before digital technology, damask patterns were manually designed and then translated into sequences of punched cards, which had to be cut and arranged with great precision. This process, often done by specialists, demanded both artistic and mathematical skills. The cards were then laced in strict order and aligned exactly to ensure the pattern rendered correctly during weaving.
Allied crafts:
Lack of tools and equipment – The specialist looms and associated apparatus required for weaving linen damask—particularly Jacquard looms—have become so rare that they are more commonly found in museums than in active workshops. Their size, complexity, and upkeep demands mean few working examples remain, and access to operational machinery is now a major barrier to practice and preservation.
Lack of Apprenticeship and Training Pathways – There are currently no formal apprenticeship programmes, accredited courses, or structured training opportunities in linen damask weaving. The highly specialised skills required for this craft are at serious risk of disappearing, with limited options for transmission to new generations of makers.
Loss of Card Cutting Expertise and Equipment – The production of damask relies on punched Jacquard cards to encode patterns, yet both the machines used to cut these cards and the skilled operatives who know how to use them are now extremely scarce. This limits the ability to produce new designs or replicate historic patterns, adding another layer of fragility to the craft’s survival.
Sustained Largely in Museum Contexts – In most cases, linen damask weaving survives only in a museum context—demonstrated for educational or heritage purposes rather than practiced as a living, evolving craft. Whilst this is important in retaining valuable skills, this framing can further distance the tradition from everyday cultural relevance and economic sustainability.
Irish Linen Centre / Lisburn Museum employ two weavers. However, there are no training schemes.
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