Whilst digging up the old tiles (tomettes) on the first floor, I came across this bit of material that was buried in the mortar holding the tiles down.

As the mortar was on the crumbly side, it came away quite easily.

It’s four different types of material – a straw-coloured light-weave hessian, a blue felt, an ochre diamond weave fabric and a two-colour beige hessian.
All is sewed together with a cream cotton.
The colours are really still quite vivid for clothing that is now around 250 years old.

I can just imagine the 18th century builder wearing handmade clothes of these colours and materials, trundling up the road with his wooden barrow and trowel.

Part of an 18th century workmans clothes, found in St Frichoux, France