These moulds are very unusual and hard to interpret. The Bull featured in many watermarks dating back to 1500 and earlier, in many variations. Note that the watermark wire has been flattened between rollers. However this mark would of course have been on laid rather than wove papers in mediaeval times. The wove wire is extraordinarily coarse - the wires are about 3 mm apart which could have caused difficulty retaining the fibre. Presumably this heavy wiremark was a design feature. The tearing wires divide each sheet into a suitable size for stationery. The moulds were made by E Amies & Son (date unknown).
© Copyright Simon Barcham Green 2011. Not to be copied or reproduced without written permission
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