Melton (cloth)

Melton cloth is traditionally made of wool and is woven in a twill form. It is thick, due to having been well fulled, which gives it a felt-like smooth surface. It is napped and very closely sheared. Meltons are similar to Mackinaw cloth. It is a very solid cloth in which the twill weave pattern is completely concealed due to the finishing processes. Because of its dense, quasi-felted texture it frays minimally or not at all. It is hard wearing and wind and weather resistant. Its main use is for heavy outer garments and coats and for blankets. In lighter weights melton cloth is traditionally used for lining the underside of jacket collars. It was developed in the Leicestershire town of Melton Mowbray, from which it derives its name. This town is the traditional centre of English fox-hunting, and black and scarlet hunting coats are traditionally made from melton cloth, due to its weatherproof qualities. In England not only is melton used for the scarlet hunting coat, an iconic symbol of the upper-class elite, but it is also used in black for the donkey jacket, an iconic symbol of the working class labouring man. Both uses rely on its weatherproof qualities.

Melton

Melton may refer to:

Places

Other uses

Melton (surname)

Melton is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Borough of Melton

Melton is a local government district with borough status in north-eastern Leicestershire, England. It is named after its main town, Melton Mowbray. Other settlements include Asfordby and Bottesford. It has a population of 46,861.

History

It was formed in 1974 from the Melton Mowbray Urban District and the Melton and Belvoir Rural District. The council offices on Nottingham Road burnt down on 30 May 2008. Across the road were situated the main offices of the East Midlands Regional Assembly before it was abolished in 2010. Photo: Jonathan McGrady/ jmnews.co.uk

Culture

The borough claims to be the Home of Stilton Cheese and Melton Mowbray Pork Pies.

Parishes