The sails were attached to the yards before 1800 by lacing robbands
which were threaded through eyelets in the top edge of the sail and
wound around the yard, the sail thus hanging underneath the centre line
of the yard.
Early in the 1800's jackstays were introduced, made
by screwing eyebolts along the top of the yard and threading a rope
through them from each end and lashing them together tightly in the
middle. The sail robbands were laced to this rope with the sail then
hanging over the front of the yard. The rope jackstay eventually became
a solid iron rod as on modern sailing ships, Fig. 57A &5 B.
