In common with other bast fibers, jutes has been used by man
since prehistoric times. It comes from the inner bark of plants of the genus
corchorus, which probably originated in the mediterranean area and was
subsequently taken to india where it now grows profusely. Jute fabrics formed
the ‘sackcloth’ of bibical times.
The jute plant flourishes in hot, damp regions of asia, and
jute has for centuries been grown in enormous quantities for textile purposes.
It is now produce in greater quantity than any textile fiber other than cotton
During the latter
half of the eighteenth century, the first shipments of jute reached western
europe from india. In 1820, jute was spun experimentally at abingdon near
oxford. The new fiber was of immediate interest to the flax and hemp spinners
located at dundee in scotland. The napoleonic wars had cut off supplies of hemp
and flax from russia, and the dundee mills began spinning jute in 1822. After
ten years of experiment, the dundee manufacturers were able to spin jute
satisfactorily, and by 1850 the jute industry was well established. It was
given further encouragement by the crimean war which cut off hemp and flax
supplies in 1853, and by the american civil ear of 1861-65 which interrupted
took up the spinning and weaving of jute, dundee has remained a centre of the
industry. Meanwhile, india and bangladesh have been steadily increasing the
number of jute spinning and weaving mills, and both countries are now
processing much of their own fiber.