The History of Rope Making

The true origins of the craft of rope making are lost in history, but there is fossil evidence of rope usage dating back to 17000BC.  These early ropes were likely to be long pieces of vine twisted or braided together by hand. The ancient Egyptians were most likely the first civilization to develop tools for constructing ropes around 4000BC. Such ropes would have been made out of grass, water reeds or animal hair. These ropes would have been used by the Egyptians in constructing their colossal structures such as the pyramids that still stand today. Hemp fibres were first used to make ropes by the Chinese around 2800BC and after this, rope making spread throughout the rest of Asia and to Europe. 

 

In Europe, twisted rope has been hand-made using the ropewalk method since the Middle Ages and by the late 1700s advances in technology meant that several machines for making rope had been constructed. Ropewalks were harsh working environments and would often catch fire as they were made mainly of wood and hemp dust can create an explosive mixture. Natural fibre yarns would be twisted to form strands which would spread the length of the building. These would then be counter-twisted to form the rope. The length of the walk would limit the length of rope that could be made but this allowed for ropes to be as long as 300 yards for use on sailing ships, for which they were essential. The standard length for a British Naval Rope was 1000 feet and a sailing ship such as HMS Victory would require over 20 miles of rope.

A Typical Early Ropewalk

Braided cords have also been around for centuries, but up until the 1800s they had all been braided by hand. When automatic braiding machines were invented in the Victorian era, rope factories became capable of producing high volumes of braided cords. Braiding machines were initially used for smaller cords and laces but the development of larger braiding machines meant that by the middle of the Twentieth Century the production of braided rope became widespread. 

Prior to the development of nylon by the laboratories of E. I. Dupont de Nemours in 1939, the only materials that were available to cordage manufacturers were natural fibres. The development of polyester and polypropylene followed in the 1940s and 50s and this revolutionized the textile and cordage industries. These developments meant that alongside the traditional natural fibres of manila, sisal, hemp, flax, cotton and jute, ropes today are more commonly made from nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene and polyester. This is because synthetic ropes are generally stronger, lighter and more hardwearing than the natural alternatives. You can find a wide range of both natural and synthetic, twisted and braided ropes here.