Linseed is still used as a solvent or carrier for oil paint, usually in restoration circumstances as it takes several months to dry out properly. When our church was restored to its Victorian glory about 10 years ago, our Rood screen (a cross or Calvary scene on a roof beam at the entrance to the choir or chancel of a church) was repainted in traditional materials. A foray up into the rafters 6 months later to fix a speaker lead showed it was still slightly tacky in the creases.

Holland, linsey, cambric, fair and Irish are all types of linen, the names derived from the area of flax cultivation or particular style of cloth. Cambric, some of the finest linen, came from the Hugenot weavers at Cambrai. It was a Hugenot refugee that took his methods to Ireland and built up the industry there. Fair is the term used to describe the palest bleached linens used for church purposes. Linsey or linsey-woolsey would be a linen or linen/wool mix that the lower classes wore. Holland, cambric and fair were all fine linens that were used by the upper classes - they were paler, finer and harder to produce.

I suppose the modern day equivalent would be velour track suit (the "chav" suit) as being the "uniform" of the lower classes.

LTS