fullers

Fullers are workers who practiced fulling, a finishing step in the manufacture of woolen cloth. Fulling cleanses and thickens cloth by interlacing fibers to reduce looseness, remove oils, and raise the surface nap. Cloth was wetted and subjected to mechanical action—walking on it in vats or, in mills, by rollers, hammers, or paddles. Historically, many fulling operations were powered by water in fulling mills; later steam and belt-driven machinery increased throughput. In some practices, the cloth was trodden by foot and cleaned with alkaline substances, sometimes including urine, to aid in cleansing oils.

The occupation arose in medieval Europe and was common in textile towns across England and the Low Countries, Italy, and beyond. Fullers often belonged to local guilds; finishing woolen cloth in this way produced durable fabrics such as broadcloth and kerseys. The term is the origin of the surname Fuller, with "Fullers" used as a plural form when referring to people bearing the name or to multiple workers in the trade. In modern times, fulling is still performed, but the process is typically mechanized within mills rather than by individual workers.

The historical role of fullers is discussed in textile history, and the word survives primarily in genealogical and place-name contexts as well as in the names of companies and brands deriving from the occupation.