swingle-stock

1) The swingle was a sword-like implement used in the dressing of flax and hemp and it gave rise to both a verb and an adjective (OED); the ‘stock’ was a wooden board on which the fibres were beaten.

1579 iij swingle stockes, South Cave

1581 payd for spynnyng swynglyn towe, Stockeld

1634 a pair of garnewingle blades and stocke and a swingle stocke, Elmswell.

dates 1579 1581 1634

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