Stay Mat - What are they?

[BANYAN]

Hi folks, another unusual rigging item associated with Victoria's rigging.  The Rigging Warrant, under 'Necessary Ropes' lists "2 (Stay) Mats for Yards.

 

Has anyone heard of these before?  A search of the usual references doers not give any clues (I have tried Underhill, Harland, Young, Biddlecombe, Falconer and others).  Brady (The Kedge anchor, references 'thrum mats' for use on stays and yards as part of the chafing gear. 

 

Could these be the same thing?  I have discounted them for the moment as only two mats are listed, and if these were to serve the same purpose many more would be required?  Additionally, additional mats should have been listed for the crosstree horns and fitting to other rigging surely?

 

cheers

 

Pat

Edited January 11, 2021 by BANYAN

[Jim Lad]

Perhaps there are two yards that may have been particularly prone to chaff?  At a guess the fore and main courses - but it is only a guess.

 

John

[Dr PR]

George Biddlecombe (The Art of Rigging, Echo Point Books and Media, Brattelborough, Vermont, 1925, reprint 2016) does mention mats (page 20) - a thick woven or plaited texture "fastened upon mast yards, &c., to prevent their chafing." On page 34 he describes "Thrumming" as interlacing short pieces of thrums or ropeyarn through matting.

 

Darcy Lever  (The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor, Thomas Gill printer, London, 1808, reprint 2000) describes how to make a wrought mat (sheet 11). He says 3" pieces of old rope are worked into the mat surface to make it softer, and these yarns are called "thrumbs." On sheet 12 he tells how to make a "wove mat."

 

Perhaps there are other places in these books where the uses of these mats are described but I didn't search the entire books.

 

My guess is that two mats were to be provided for initial fitting out in the shipyard. If any others were needed the ship's crew could make them.

 

[BANYAN]

Thanks guys.

 

John, thanks for that, perhaps you are right.  With the use of patent trusses, which in the imagery are quite stood-off from the mast, may have eliminated much of the chafing points, and only two required.  The problem remain though, why only two.  That would mean one mat each side - so which to pick?  My guess would be the foremast, as the main course was used much less.

 

Dr. PR thanks for the inputs, much appreciated.  I had seen the Biddlecombe and Lever references, but these are more oriented towards how to make them and more generalised.  I have had a reasonable look, but may have skipped over something that would give better guidance on where fitted.  What I was trying to determine in particular, was why they were called stay yard mats, only two and where then on the yards would they be placed.  The authors do not call them by this name but do infer such usage (i.e. on the yards, masts or on the stays themselves etc.   All references say mats on the yards + thrums or other types of scotsmen on the rigging etc.; but none of those are listed min Victoria's Rigging Warrant - perhaps an omission in the listing, or simply accepted as a given as they would be made up on board from 'stuff'?

 

I believe it may be safe to assume that the mats listed were anti-chafe mats used on the yards in the vicinity of a stay (but I have still to determine which yards).  I think, by looking more closely at the descriptions on how to make them, and in other books also, I may end up with a sort of consensus that identifies the more prominent areas subject to prone, and this would then probably be where these mats were used.  My current leaning would be that as they are listed as 'stay' yard mats, they will have been used in the vicinity of the stays near one or more of the the yards.

 

How does this sound?    As the trusses for the main and fore lower yards appear a little longer than the typical ones for this period (probably to allow for the severe rake used in Victoria's masting) that perhaps a couple of the stays may have been more prone to chafe; the forestay in particular.  As the stays were on the centreline, perhaps they were used on the slings of the yard there?  Another option being, the backstays of the fore topmast, but then again why only two as the mainmast will have required them also (one per side)?

 

I will keep looking and see if any better guidance comes up.

 

thanks gain

 

Pat

[BANYAN]

I may have cracked this while searching for information on getting the lower yards onboard.  Lever, page 32 (1848 edition), explains:

“When it [the lower yard] is lowered it will lie athwart the fore-castle , and over the Main Stay for rigging.  In small vessels, a Mat is laid over the stay; but in large….”.

 

This would perhaps suggest the listed mats were provided for this purpose as they specifically mention yards and stays (as does Lever); the mats may have had a secondary role as anti-chafing mats.  This may explain the absence of other anti-chafing rigging in the Rigging Warrant, as these  items may have been assumed to be made-up on board and used as required in different ships.

 

What do you guys think?

 

cheers

 

Pat

Edited January 12, 2021 by BANYAN

[Jim Lad]

Sounds like the mats were secreted away in the bosun's store until needed.

 

John

[Dr PR]

Pat,

 

Your idea sounds pretty good to me.