Flax
Lyneham has always had an agricultural presence , with several farms scattered around the hamlet all responsible for working the land. In earlier times the land had belonged to the priory at Bradenstoke-cum-Clack and together was the centre for growing flax. Lyneham's name originated from this crop; Linen is a material made from the fibers of the flax plant. The village name started off as Linen Hamlet, the place where flax is grown. The last syllable, 'ham,' means enclosure by the river; the river Braydon.

Linen
Today the word "linen" is descriptive of a class of woven textiles used in homes as towels, sheets, and tablecloths. In the past the word also referred to lightweight undergarments like shirts, chemises, waist shirts, lingerie, and detachable shirt collars and cuffs. Modern linens are typically manufactured of natural fibers like cotton, silk, modal, and (sometimes) flax, as well as synthetic fibers including polyester, rayon, etc.

Historically, linens were manufactured almost exclusively of fibers from the flax plant ("linum usitatisimum") Flax fiber is strong when both wet and dry, durable, cool to the skin, and resistant to rotting in damp climates. It is one of the few textiles that has a greater breaking strength wet than dry. It has a long "staple" (individual fiber length) relative to cotton and other natural fibers. The fiber in its un-spun state is called flax. After it is spun into yarn it becomes linen.

Flax is grown both for seed and for fibre. Various parts of the plant has been used to make fabric, dye, paper, medicines, fishing nets and soap. It is also grown as an ornamental plant in gardens, as flax is one of the few truly blue flowers (most "blue" flowers are really shades of purple).

Flax Seed
The seeds produce a vegetable oil known as linseed oil or flaxseed oil. It is one of the oldest commercial oils and solvent-processed flax seed oil has been used for centuries as a drying oil in painting and varnishing. The seeds are edible, and cold pressed linseed oil is suitable for human consumption; it is one of the most concentrated plant sources of the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, and its use as a nutritional supplement is increasing. Brown and yellow flax have equal amounts of omega-3 except for a type of yellow flax called solin which is very low in omega-3 and has a completely different oil profile.

Flax fibre
Flax fibres are amongst the oldest fibre crops in the world. The use of flax for the production of linen goes back 5000 years. Pictures on tombs and temple walls at Thebes depict flowering flax plants. The use of flax fibre in the manufacturing of cloth in northern Europe dates back to pre-Roman times. In North America, flax was introduced by the Pilgrim fathers. Currently most flax produced in the USA and Canada are seed flax types for the production of linseed oil or flaxseeds for human nutrition.

Flax fibre is extracted from the bast or skin of the stem of flax plant. Flax fibre is soft, lustrous and flexible. It is stronger than cotton fibre but less elastic. The best grades are used for linen fabrics such as damasks, lace and sheeting. Coarser grades are used for the manufacturing of twine and rope. Flax fibre is also a raw material for the high-quality paper industry for the use of printed banknotes and rolling paper for cigarettes.

Cultivation
Flax is harvested for fibre production when still green, before seed maturation as the fibre starts to degrade later; it is pulled up with the roots (not cut), so as to maximise the fibre length. Immediately after harvesting, it is put in water to soak (retting) to rot off the non-fibrous material in the stems. Retting takes 7-12 days, depending on temperature. Flax grown for seed is allowed to mature until the seed capsules are yellow and just starting to split; it is then harvested by combine harvester and dried to extract the seed.

Extracting Flax fibres
The process is divided into two parts: the first part is intended for the farmer, or flax-grower, to bring the flax into a fit state for use. In the early part of the last century, before machinery was used on the farmlands, workers had a difficult job cultivating the flax. With machinery, this is performed by three machines: one for threshing out the seed, one for breaking and separating the wood from the fibre, and one for further separating the broken wood and matter from the fibre. Generally most of the early farmers thrashed out the seed in their own mill and therefore, the first machine would be unnecessary.

The second part of the process is intended for the manufacturer to bring the flax into a state for the very finest purposes, such as lace, cambric, damask, and very fine linen. This second part is performed by the refining machine only. Take the flax in small bundles, as it comes from the field or stack, and holding it in the left hand, put the seed end between the threshing machine and the bed or block against which the machine is to strike; then take the handle of the machine in the right hand, and move the machine backward and forward, to strike on the flax, until the seed is all threshed out.

Take the flax in small handfuls in the left hand, spread it flat between the third and little finger, with the seed end downwards, and the root-end above, as near the hand as possible; then put it between the beater of the breaking machine, and beat it gently till the three or four inches, which have been under the operation of the machine, appear to be soft; then remove the flax a little higher in the hand, so as to let the soft part of the flax rest upon the little finger, and continue to beat it till all is soft, and the wood is separated from the fibre, keeping the left hand close to the block and the flax as flat upon the block as possible. The other end of the flax is then to be turned, and the end which has been beaten is to be wrapped round the little finger, the root end flat, and beaten in the machine till the wood is separated, exactly in the same way as the other end was beaten.

Weeding Flax
The wives of poor farm workers and wives of day labourers who often came for a starvation wage to weed flax fields. The 1887 painting by Emile Claus to the left shows something about the life of women around the turn of the 19th century. Notice how they all had removed their wooden shoes to avoid damaging the flax. Also, if possible they were put to work with the wind at their backs do that the flax plants they had been pressed down would be blown back to stand upright. The farmer's wife stood ready with a basket to collect the weeds removed.