Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1993, Page 45

UM VEFSTÓLA OG VEFARA Á ÍSLANDI
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viduals: the farmer Bogi Benediktsson at Staðarfell in western Iceland, the sheriff Brynjólfur
Sigurðsson at Hlíðarendi and Hjálmholt in southern Iceland, and Ólafur Stephensen, later
civil govemor, at Sviðholt and later at Innri-Hólmur (Figure 3) in southwestern Iceland (cf.
main text with notes 28-32).
In Icelandic written sources from the 18th century the horizontal loom seems generally to
be called vefstnður, i. e. the same as the warp weighted loom which it replaced, although most
often the word is qualified to indicate a Danish origin. Soon, however, the word vefstóll
appeared, the first known instance dating from 1754. In a source from 1800 a clear differenti-
ation is made between the terms vefstóll and kljágrjótavefstaður (kljágrjót = loom weights).
During the 19th century the word vefstóll was at times used about warp weighted looms as
well as treadle looms, although the term vefstaður was still used. At times both terms might
be qualified with the words Icelandic or Danish according to the loom in question and, as the
century wore on, vefstaður might be qualified with the words "old Icelandic" or merely "old".
Besides, the term vefur appeared for a horizontal loom and qualified as uppistöðu vefur for a
warp weighted one. In the rural districts in southern, western an northwestern Iceland about
1900 the horizontal loom - which at that time had completely replaced the warp weighted
loom - was in daily use called both vefstóll and vefstaður, while in northern and eastern
Iceland the term vefstóll was used with few exceptions. During the first half of the 20th cen-
tury both types of looms were called vefstaður in the district of Rangárvallasýsla in southern
Iceland, while in other parts of the country that term had been completely replaced by the
word vefstóll, at least in written usage, with qualifications, e.g. the "old", the ''old Icelandic",
and "the ancient”, or compound words were used: kljásteinavefstóll, kljávefstóll and kljávefur
(cf. main text with notes 34-53).
Neither pictures nor descriptions have survived of the so-called Danish looms that were
brought to Iceland during the 18th century or of the Icelandic looms which were built at that
time and patterned on them. Some written sources afford the information that looms were
narrow, while other sources tell of looms of double width. Apparently both types occurred,
but perhaps most of the looms brought from Denmark in the 18th century and which would
have served as models for looms made locally were wide (broad), among them those import-
ed for the industrial facilities in Reykjavxk in 1752. The special mention of narrow looms in
1751, 1769 and 1781, may indicate that they were then the exception rather than the rule.
During the second half of the 19th century most looms appear to have been of single width
(narrow), and several sources tell of broad looms being converted into narrow looms about
1870-1880 (cf. main text with notes 54-62).
The oldest surviving Icelandic horizontal looms date from the 19th century, most likely
only from about 1850. An example of a single width loom from that time is shown in Figure
4; eight other looms of this kind either exist or are known from pictures. All nine are of the
type which about 1900 were regarded the older one of two: with the warp beam set high at
the back above the back beam, and with a hanging batten (Figure 6; cf. main text and notes
63-73). A somewhat different loom type, considered about 1900 to be of a later date than the
above, had the warp beam set below the back beam at about the same height as the cloth
beam (Figures 7 and 8). The present author is aware of ten Icelandic looms of this type, eight
of which are certainly and two most likely from the second half of the 19th century (cf. main
text with notes 74-85). Looms of the old type with a high warp beam are often said to have
been changed into the latter type, mostly about 1900 but even as early as 1890 (cf. main text
with notes 86-89). Another change from the old type was to have the batten standing rather
than hanging, a development occurring abroad during the 19th century. Only one old
Icelandic loom with a standing batten is known to the author at present, however; it also has
a high set warp beam, in this case apparently placed quite a bit higher than usual (Figure 9;
cf. main text with notes 90-95).