Price list of Pink Tape from Haarlem Mill, with samples attached

Although the term "red tape", referring to excessive regulation, may be as old as the 16th century, the product itself was often pink and several mills in the mid-Derbyshire town of Wirksworth produced narrow fabrics and 'tapes' primarily used for tying together bundles of documents.

Haarlem Mill, on the River Ecclesbourne at Wirksworth, Derbyshire, was an early cotton mill. Built by Richard Arkwright, it was the first cotton mill in the world to use a steam engine, which was used to supplement the supply of water to the mill's water wheel.