Serge
This article is about the fabric known as serge. Serge is also a common first name, particularly in France and Russia.Serge is a type of
twill fabric that has diagonal lines or ridges on both sides, made with a two-up, two-down
weave. The
worsted variety is used in making
military uniforms,
suits, great and
trench coats. Its counterpart,
silk serge, is used for linings. French serge is a softer, finer variety. The word is also used for a high quality
woolen
woven.
The name is derived from
French serge, itself from
Latin serica, from
Greek σηρικος (
serikos), meaning "silken". The early association of silk serge, Greece, and France is shown by the discovery in
Charlemagne's tomb of a piece of silk serge dyed with
Byzantine motifs, evidently a gift from the Byzantine Imperial Court in the
8th or
9th century AD.
From early Saxon times, most English wool ("staples") was exported. In the early
sixteenth century it went mainly to a Royal
monopoly at
Calais (then an English possession) and was woven into cloth in France or the Low Countries. However, with the capture of Calais by the French on
7 January 1558, England began expanding its own weaving industry. This was greatly enhanced by the European Wars of Religion (
Eighty Years' War,
French Wars of Religion); in
1567 Calvinist refugees from the Low Countries included many skilled serge weavers, while
Huguenot refugees in the early
eighteenth century included many silk and linen weavers.
Denim is a
cotton fabric with a similar weave; its name is believed to be derived from "serge de Nîmes" after
Nîmes in France.
*
Tweed*
Red Serge*
A brief history of the woollen industry in England*
Images from World History: Early Byzantine history (7 - 11th c. A.D.)*
A Brief History of Southampton *
Famous Serges on Wikipedia
