1952: The thatcher then laid the 'yelms', or bunches of drawn straw, on the laths, beginning at the eaves and working up towards the ridge. — L.F. Salzman, Building in England, p. 224.
1952: The preparation of straw for thatch, which was known as 'yelming', consisted in damping it and 'drawing' it with a thatching-fork, or great comb, so as to get the straws parallel. — L.F. Salzman, Building in England, p. 224.