Fuller

Fulling removed oil and dirt from woven wool and made it shrink and mat together, giving a denser, warmer cloth. Early on it was done by trampling the cloth in water; later, water-powered fulling mills pounded it with wooden hammers.

In early America many towns had a fulling mill, and the fuller often also dyed cloth. The trade name became the surname Fuller, and in some regions the same worker was called a tucker or walker.