Hi again, My sincere thanks to Liz, Judith, Roy, & Audrey for taking the time to help me with my conundrum today -- it was a thrill to come online and read your posts. The OED definitions seem to address the issue directly; given the family business in the cloth industry generally, linen manufacture & nap-raising seems a perfect fit, even if there's no means of proving it definitively. Learning that I should keep an eye out for "rowe" & "rowen" as well as "rough" & "roughen" will prove invaluable as well. Again, thanks to everyone who responded to my query; I'm very grateful for your input. Best wishes, Kristina 1639 Jan. 3. John Bedford of Doncaster "Rough man". ... Proved April 1640.