Thread of evidence

In Was the Bayeux Tapestry made in France? ("This will really needle les Anglais", June 17), George Beech calls for DNA analysis of bacteria lodged in the threads to determine the place of origin of the wool and linen used in the tapestry.

The most recent scientific research on the tapestry took place in 1982. Reports on bacteria and insects were directed at establishing deterioration rather than place of origin; but it was thought that these samples could be reused to determine their origin. Is it not time to reopen this archive?

Place of manufacture is not necessarily the same as source of design, and separate sections of the main register of the tapestry may have been drawn by different hands, under different influences.

Gale R. Owen-Crocker
Manchester University